Across the Ionian Sea
by polrobin
Summary: This story takes place during and after Enemy at the Gates. It also ref's possible SGU characters. SJ Est. Update: 1/17/09 - changed names of SGU ref'd characters to reflect new names as shown on GW. I'll keep them updated as the characters' names evolve
1. Chapter 1

A/N #1 – Okay. I was bad, I'll admit it. I downloaded a copy of the pre-air version of the series ender, _Enemy at the Gates_. Am I still planning on watching it when it airs? Damned straight! Did it ruin it for me, seeing it now and not two weeks from now? No freaking way! I have time _now_ to write and I won't then. After watching the ep I was left with several questions, the last being, _So...what reason would there be for Sam to be in an overly large BDU shirt? Why intentionally make her look pregnant? _If you don't want to be spoiled...then skip this till the show airs. **You've been warned. Really, I mean it.**

A/N #2 – According to my research, Odysseus' heroic trait is his mētis, or "cunning intelligence;" he is often described as the "Peer of Zeus in Counsel." This intelligence is most often manifested by his use of disguise and deceptive speech. Hmm, deceptive speech? Odysseus is known for hiding his intelligence so that others underestimate him. Now, who do we know that also employs this tactic? I also thought it interesting that Jack was missing in this ep and so was the Odyssey. Somehow that all works for me.

This story takes place during and after _Enemy at the Gates_. It also references the newest incarnation in our fandom, _Stargate: Universe._ As always, feedback is encouraged, saved and _always_ answered.

Enjoy.

_**- - - - **_

_**Across the Ionian Sea**_

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Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Commander's Office

0030 (local)

Sam wearily hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair, scrubbing her hands over her face and wishing, for just a moment, that she was back at home. Her home. With Jack. Just them. She glanced out at the ruins of what had been a pristine conference room and was now a room bristling with computers, large displays and far too many people. She missed the simplicity of the conference room, just as she missed the simplicity of being somebody else's 2IC. Nothing was simple anymore.

She glanced again through the doorway to conference-turned-situation-room and remembered entering it for the very first time. She'd arrived late from Washington, then the driver who was supposed to pick her up at Peterson having been late in meeting her. Sam let herself drift for a moment, reliving the thrill and butterflies she'd felt that first day when stepping out of the darkness of the doorway and coming face to face with Jack O'Neill for the first time. It was also the first time in years that she'd seen George Hammond. God, she missed him. First her Dad, now General Hammond. What would Hammond think of all of this? Sam's eyes filled as she thought the gruff old General, already missing him fiercely. She, along with Daniel and Teal'c had been heartbroken to learn of his sudden death. Jack had represented them all at the funeral, and she'd hated that he'd had to go through that alone, without her. She was, however, immensely proud of her new assignment–provided she lived long enough to assume command­–the _General G.S. Hammond_, the newest Daedalus-class ship of the line, and it was hers. The sound of Siler yelping in pain brought her attention back to the newly made situation room.

The only good thing about the chaos that had become their new command center was that the gaping picture window that had made this office resemble a large fishbowl was now walled up and replaced with an even larger tactical monitor. A discrete cough in her doorway drew her attention and Sam, with one last pass across her weary eyes, looked up to find Major Davis hovering in the space between the new situation room and her office. Her very temporary office.

"Yes, Major?"

"The IT crew is coming on, Colonel. I thought I'd brief them and get them started on hooking us up, if you don't mind." Davis looked as weary as Sam felt, though she knew he'd caught a few hours of rack time on his flight out from DC.

"That'd be great, thanks. Can you close the door, too? I'm going to try to get the last of these calls made before I crash."

"Yes, Ma'am. And, Colonel?"

"Yes?"

Paul Davis shifted, clearly uncomfortable with the personal side of things, but he'd promised his boss. "Ma'am, I'm to remind you that you really need to rest, especially now."

Sam regarded him steadily, pleased that despite his discomfort Paul didn't look away or back down. She knew very well what he was talking about and just who it was who had given him that reminder. Finally, she nodded, allowing a small smile to slip across her lips. "Thanks, Paul. I won't forget. And I'll tell him you passed on the message." Sam's smile widened at the fleeting look of relief that crossed Davis's features, and her smile stayed in place as she reached for the phone once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Colonel Carter's Quarters

0341 (local)

Blearily blinking her eyes, Sam slowly awakened to the sounds of someone moving around her room. She wasn't alarmed, only two other people had access to her quarters, one being the CMO and the other being...She slid the blankets aside and sat up a bit, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Jack?" She called softly, noting the light coming from under the bathroom doorway. She squinted against the brief flash that appeared when he cracked open the door, raising a hand to shield her eyes.

"Sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to wake you."

Sam slid up awkwardly on the bed, repositioning the pillows around her to support her back while reaching to turn on the softer bedside light. "No, it's okay. I'm glad." She shook her head, trying to wake herself up more and tried again. "I mean, I don't mind. I wanted to see you." Sam waited for Jack to finish in the bathroom, then flipped open the covers, giving him room to slide in. "What time is it?"

Jack slid in beside Sam, tucking one arm around behind her and scrubbing a hand through his cropped hair tiredly. He yawned his answer, his voice already thick with the need for sleep. "'s nearly four, I think." He blinked up at her, then gestured toward the light with his chin. "Turn that off, okay?"

Sam smoothed his disordered hair down, marveling as she always did at its softness, and placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head. She turned off the light and inched lower onto the bed, happily cuddling into his warm embrace. "Jack?"

"Mmh?"

"Did it go okay?"

"Mmhmm." Jack reached his arm around Sam, pulling her tighter to him. He began caressing her smooth, satiny skin, slowly working his fingers under her sleep shirt.

"Jaaaack." Sam could barely make out the shape of his head in the near-complete darkness of her quarters. She always left a small light on in the bathroom, and that dim glow was enough to outline the silvery head of the man she loved so deeply. She could see his eyes glitter in the darkness and knew he wasn't as close to sleep as he sounded. Reaching down she pulled his hand up to rest on the slowly growing swell of her stomach, knowing what he was searching for. "Here," she said, spreading his fingers out. "He kicks on this side a lot at night."

"He?"

She shrugged against him, turning her face to rest her skin against his rough, unshaven cheek. "Sure, why not?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, absorbing the feel of Sam in his arms, the gentle movements of their child beneath her skin. He kept his hand light on her belly, gently palpating the baby with slight movements of his fingers. For a long moment there was no sound in the room save for their breathing and the muffled night sounds of the SGC. Finally, Jack slid his hand down and tangled her fingers with hers, burying his face in Sam's neck. He let out a heavy sigh and mumbled, "It's a go."

Sam stilled beside him, her only reaction was her fingers tightening in his. "When?"

"Jamison thinks...one day, two max."

"Who's going to..." Sam trailed off, afraid to finish her sentence. If she asked, then it made it real. If she asked, then he'd have to answer. She closed her eyes in the darkness and just absorbed the essence of _him _next to her, the strength and warmth and endless joy she found in his arms. It had been too good to be true, she supposed. Having him, having time, building a life, a...family... Sam let loose a long, slow breath, fighting to keep the tears back. Carter's don't cry. Even when they're O'Neill's now. Especially when.

"Sam, I–"

"Shh. I know. I've known from the moment Daniel found the references. I just hate that it's _now_. When I can't..."

"Oh, Sam. I know that no matter where I am, what I'm doing, you'll have my back. You always have and you always will. Just as I have, and will always have yours." Jack hugged her tightly, pressing a small kiss behind her ear. "You'll just have to cover me from long distance for a short while."

"I know. I don't have to like it, but I know." She fought back a small sniffle, a few tears leaking out despite her best efforts. "Sorry. Hormones, you know."

"No." Warm fingers slid up her cheek, tracing her skin and gently wiping away the errant tears. "Never apologize for crying, Sam. Not to me. I love that you can be..._you_...with me. That you can let go of everything and just be...Sam."

"Only with you, you know."

"I know." Jack's own voice wavered suspiciously for a moment as he held her close. "You know, don't you, that I don't _want_ to be the one. That I don't want to go."

Sam turned in his arms, bringing her face to his and nuzzling into his neck. She breathed in the scent that was so uniquely _Jack_, imprinting that sense onto her soul. Into their child's soul. Just in case... "I know, Jack. I know." She held him tight, feeling the tension slowly leave his body as he gave in to the need for sleep. His breathing evened out, sending light puffs along the top of her head, stirring her bangs while he slipped deeper into his dreams. It was a long time before Sam could slip back into hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Brief author's note here. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I'm going to be spending some quality time with the family. We're driving to Colorado on Christmas Day, so you may go two to three days without an update. Because of this I am posting tomorrow's slightly longer chapter now instead of waiting. As I have assured everyone, this story is complete, save for minor tweaks here and there. I am making those edits and will, as I have 'net access, continue to post through the Christmas week (save for tomorrow, Thursday and possibly Friday). Shouldn't be too much of a hardship; in lieu of a new chapter knock back a spiced eggnog and read some Campfire fics or some other author's really good stuff, if you've no family of your own with which to play. Whatever your plans, I wish you all the very best of Christmases...Pol

PS to those steady reviewers...thanks so much, you're making this a fantastic journey for me! If you haven't reviewed, take a moment and share your thoughts with a writer – it's a Christmas gift you can give for free.

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Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Situation Room (Former Briefing Room)

0650 (local)

The technicians still on the floor scrambled to rise as General O'Neill entered the room, Colonel Carter close on his heels. Jack quickly waved them back to work. "Relax people. I'm not even officially here." He and Carter disappeared into her office, closing the door behind them. With a quick glance at Chief Harriman, the tech's continued running cables and powering up the newly placed PC's. The Chief had set a clear deadline and they were inching closer to it by the minute.

Inside the office Jack waved Sam to the chair behind the desk. Her grimace made it clear how she felt about the arrangement, but Jack knew from experience that the desk chair was the more comfortable of those available in the room. Before either could speak there was a sharp rap at the door. Jack and Sam both responded with a brisk "Come!" then exchanged rueful glances.

"Sir? Ma'am?" Paul Davis poked his head in the door, confused by the dual response.

Sam gave Jack a look, then waved Paul inside. "Sorry, Paul. We're still sorting all of this out."

Davis grinned, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Yes, Colonel. And, if I may, I haven't had a chance to offer my congratulations. On, ah, both counts." Paul gestured toward Carter's increasingly obvious condition and to the ring hanging off of the chain holding her dog tags.

Sam ducked her head, blushing slightly as she quickly tucked the chain back into her shirt, while Jack shook Paul's hand. "Thanks, Paul. We appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Sir." He turned to Sam and asked, "I should have checked last night, but _is_ it Colonel 'Carter'? Or do you now prefer 'O'Neill'?"

"I, ah, _prefer_ O'Neill, but...well, let's stick with 'Carter' for now, shall we?"

"Yes, Ma'am." All business now, Davis took the remaining empty chair and handed one of the thick sets of files in his hands to Jack, the other to Sam. "As you can see from the Atlantis's report, we're expecting at least one Hive ship, possibly two. The subspace message we received from the alternate timeline wasn't clear, but we're under the impression that the Hive are trying to plan a coordinated, cross-timeline attack. Based on what we know of travel times, we think we've got a little over a month to prepare. We've put together some numbers and, with you in the Ancient's weapons platform, I've made some projections..."

Sam was flipping through the data in the file as Davis briefed them. She'd heard all of this before and her mind was on what was to come. What Davis _didn't_ yet know, and what she didn't want to think about. The Hive was coming and Jack would be leaving. He needed to go. Jack was good but he wasn't able to be in two places at once – leaving them with nobody for the Ancient's weapon's platform, or the "Chair" as Jack called it. Well, nobody local, that is. As Davis's information stood, it was good and the plan as they'd set it up was still a good one. What he was about to find out, however, was there would be some...minor...modifications. Sam tuned back in to what Jack was asking Paul.

"...in the IOC?"

"I'm sorry, General, could you repeat your question?" Sam hated having to ask him to repeat himself, but she'd missed what he'd asked.

"No problem. Major, what does the IOC know of the threat?"

Davis looked surprised by the question, glancing quickly from Jack to Sam and back again. "Ah, forgive me, General, but wouldn't you be in a better position to know?"

Jack nodded. "Normally, yes, I would. However..." Jack exchanged glances with Sam, raising an eyebrow. She returned the gesture, a question asked and answered with no words. Jack quirked a small smile her way before continuing. "I've been, shall we say...out of touch?"

"That's one way of putting it, General."

"Thank you, Colonel." Jack turned to Paul who was obviously confused. "Major...Paul. I haven't been on Earth much in the past few weeks. You _must_ have missed me, just a little?"

Davis smiled at Jack's wry joke. "Yes, General, I knew you were on an assignment, but I've been so tied up here, that–"

"Relax, Paul." Jack leaned back in his chair, scratching his head. "Where's Walter with the coffee? Anyway, SG-1, Dr. Jackson actually, found a reference to a ship–"

"Or a gate." Interrupted Sam.

Jack nodded. "Or a gate, but Daniel thinks more likely a ship."

"A ship, as in...space ship?"

Another sharp knock sounded before Jack could continue and this time Jack simply looked at Carter. At her terse command the door opened and Chief Harriman entered, balancing a tray filled with steaming cups and several small bowls filled with fruit and other snacks. Jack inhaled the rich scent of the coffee as the Chief handed Jack his cup.

"Ahh, thanks, Walter." Jack savored the smell, closing his eyes for a moment in blissful enjoyment. "I've missed your coffee, Walter. I may take you with me back to the Pentagon."

Harriman nodded. "You're welcome, General, and you'd have to take that up with General Landry, Sir." He turned to Sam, handing her a steaming mug of dark liquid. "Colonel?"

Sam gratefully accepted her own cup, relishing the rich chocolate aroma wafting up from the cup. She held it both hands, willing the warmth of the cup to seep into her chilled body. She couldn't mask the small shudder that shook her frame as she took a sip.

"You okay, Carter?" O'Neill's eyes were dark with concern. He'd seen her shiver and while it wasn't all that warm this low in the SGC, it certainly wasn't chilly either.

"I'm good. Thanks, Chief." Sam nodded to Harriman, waiting for him to set the tray aside.

The Chief handed the last cup to Davis then gestured to the bowls still on the tray. "Ah, Colonel, Dr. Lam says to be sure to eat what's on the tray or she'll, ah..." Harriman trailed off, unwilling to threaten Carter personally, but concerned enough that he wanted to make sure she understood.

Jack smiled at the Chief, knowing how threatening Doctor Lam could be. "Not to worry, Chief, we'll make sure she eats. Right, Paul?"

"Oh. Um, sure. Yes, we will." Davis glanced at Sam then quickly focused on his coffee. Nope, _he_ wouldn't be making sure the Colonel did anything, he'd leave that to the General. Davis waited for the Chief to leave the room before looking again to O'Neill.

Jack took another slow sip of his coffee, clearly savoring each taste, and reminding Sam of Daniel in the mornings. "As I was saying, Daniel thinks this ship, or gate, or whatever, could take us out there. Way out there. As in, to a galaxy far, far...well, you get the idea." Jack waved his hand in a vague circle and Sam bit her lip to hide a small smile.

"No, General, I'm afraid I don't." Davis looked to Carter for a hint, but her attention was solely on O'Neill. "Further than Pegasus?"

"A little bit further, I'd say."

"Just how far out are we talking, General?"

"Nine coordinates, Paul." Carter's voice was soft, her eyes still on O'Neill. She blinked and turned her searing blue gaze to Davis's serious brown eyes. She noticed for the first time that Paul's eyes were almost the same brown as Jack's. Similar color, but nowhere near as deep and warm, she thought. "Nine." The astrophysicist in her was leaping at the opportunity, the potential challenges of reaching that far into space. The wife and burgeoning mother in her was frightened to death at the possibility of Jack being that far from her.

"Nine?" Davis worked to keep his jaw from dropping. "But that's...that would take more power than..." He watched General O'Neill quietly sip his coffee, watched Colonel Carter drop her eyes from O'Neill's down to the hot chocolate on her desk, one hand dropping to unconsciously rub her stomach. Davis watched as General O'Neill eventually looked up and met Paul's gaze, his brown eyes clear and his carefully expression blank. The room was silent, save for the steady ticking of the clock on the bookshelf behind Colonel Carter. Finally, Davis realized something and his heart skipped a beat. "You've found something else, haven't you? Something to power the gate that far? And just where, or more accurately I guess, how _far_ is this place where Dr. Jackson found this information? And why do we need it _now_?" He waited and neither officer seemed inclined to answer his questions. Suddenly, he understood. "Oh my God. You've found another of the Ancient's weapon, haven't you?"

Sam coughed and sipped her chocolate again, leaving it to Jack to answer. Jack frowned into his coffee mug, his nimble fingers worrying at the fading Space Command logo on the side. He looked at Sam and finally looked over at Davis. "To answer your questions, Paul..." Jack literally began providing answers in the order that Davis had asked them. "Yes. Yes. Carter can give you the exact distance, I'm sure, but let's just go with...it's a helluva long way away. Because it's really important. Because, as you've just pointed out, the Hive ship is going to be here in a month. And lastly..." Jack looked up, locking his eyes on Sam's. "Yes...and I leave in just under eighteen hours.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Greetings from 25-degree Grants, New Mexico! Wow, have we hit _weather_ on this trip. Took us five and a half hours to get from home to Needles, CA – in California when it rains everyone thinks the sky is falling and they drive rrrreeeeaaaallllyyyy slowly. Really. Slowly. This is a short chapter, but more to come, promise. I will also be posting a Campfire fic in the next few days. As always, thanks again for reading and I'm really enjoying the reviews. ~Pol.

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Commander's Office

0748 (local)

Sam watched as Paul's jaw dropped in amazement. Davis was a good guy, he'd become Jack's Number Two at the Pentagon almost from Jack's first day there. She'd always liked him and now she liked him more for his care of Jack. She waited for him to process what he'd learned, to work through the news and begin making strategic adjustments in his head. That was one of Paul's most valuable contributions to Jack's team; his ability to think on the fly and not only keep up with Jack's incredibly sharp mind, but to anticipate his needs. As he started speaking, Sam allowed a tiny smile to cross her features. She knew she could count on Paul Davis to land on his feet.

"...need to recall Sheppard from Atlantis, he's the only other person we know of who has the gene, isn't he?"

Jack nodded, glancing at Sam. Receiving her nod, he asked Davis, "Can you take care of that for me? I have some things I need to go over here. Let's you and I plan to get together in my...Carter, is my old office available?"

Sam shook her head. "No. Why don't you guys use this office, I have some things I need to reassign from my lab, so I'll have Dr. Lee meet me down there."

"Fine. Paul, let's plan on 1100, back here, okay?"

Davis, clearly recognizing a dismissal, nodded. He gathered his files and his now empty coffee cup and turned to leave.

"Major?"

"Yes, General?"

"See to it we're not disturbed for a few minutes, would you? We'll buzz the Chief when we need refills."

"Yes sir. General. Colonel." Paul ducked out of the door, closing it softly behind him.

Jack smiled after Davis left, then glanced around the room. Gone of course were Jack's degrees and certifications, his photos of some of his former teammates. In their place were Landry's achievements, on the shelves his books, the classics that he so loved. Jack knew, intellectually that he'd been the one to move his things, but he couldn't help the small pang that came with noticing the changes. "Guess Landry's made some changes, eh?" He pointed with his chin toward the newly plastered wall where the window used to be. "I kind of miss the goofy star map, you know?"

"I don't. I hated feeling like I was in a fishbowl." Sam shrugged. "Besides, we can digitize much better map on the 3-D system."

"Of course." Jack rose and stepped around the desk to Sam's side, crouching near her chair. "Sam..."

"Jack, it's okay. Well, not _okay_, but...I know. It'd take too long to get Sheppard back here to go in your place, and...well, to be honest, he has more experience that you do, fighting the Wraith."

"That doesn't make it easier to leave." Jack turned her chair and took her cold hands in his, pressing her fingertips to his lips. He held both of her hands on one of his, the other reaching out to caress her growing stomach. He felt a small ripple in response to his touch and looked up at Sam, his eyes filling with tears. "God, Carter..." Jack ducked his head and chuckled softly. "Sorry, sometimes that just slips out, and­–"

"Jack." Sam wiggled one of her hands free and reached out, lifting Jack's chin until his shining eyes met hers. "_Sir_." She gave him a soft smile, the one reserved especially for him. "I _love_ it when you call me 'Carter,' especially when you sound like...that."

One corner of Jack's mouth lifted and he pressed his cheek into her hand, closing his eyes. A single tear slipped past his long eyelashes and Sam caught it with her thumb, gently brushing it away. "That's good to hear, Sam. I kind of like when you slip those little "sir's" in from time to time. It's a nice callback."

"Yes, it is."

They sat like that for a few moments more, then Jack gave a soft groan. He used Sam's knees as leverage and pushed himself to his feet. "God, as much as I love being next to you, my knees simply cannot take it." He pulled Sam to her feet. "Let's move our discussion to your quarters. I know you didn't get much sleep last night and neither did I. I'll have the Chief send some food down for us." Jack glanced at his watch and grimaced. Time was running out.

Sam caught his look and for once was willing to forgo her duties. There was a lot to do to get ready for the Hive ship, for Jack's leaving. Daniel and Teal'c too, come to think of it. Her whole team would be leaving her behind, for the first time, ever. Everyone she loved, save Cassie, would be hundreds of light-years away from her and suddenly she felt very selfish. She'd given enough to this program, this planet, and damn it, she was going to claim three or four hours as her very own. She'd waited long enough...for a lot of things.

Sliding her hand into Jacks and tangling her fingers with his, she led him from her office. With a few words to the Chief, they were off duty for the next few hours, and she didn't care who knew or what they thought. The time for hiding was over. This was their time now.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I apologize again for the smarm and ship in this chapter. This story is, at it's root, a love story between Sam and Jack. There has been, is, and will continue to be lots of ship and some smarm. If that's not your cuppa, you may want to skip this fic. There are some incredibly written long sagas out there that masterfully combine ship and drama. I'm just not there yet. So...that said, this is a little interlude before the next stuff begins. For Jack-fans, I promise, he's on his way. Thanks to all who have been faithfully reviewing. ~Pol.

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Commissary

0815 (local)

Jack looked up as Daniel entered the commissary. He waved the archaeologist over while he continued to grab items from the racks and put them on his tray. He paused at the doors to the kitchen, calling, "Cass, company's here!"

Cassandra Fraiser poked her head out of the base kitchen's swinging doors and, catching Daniel's eye, gave him a quick wave hello. She just as quickly ducked back inside and disappeared. Jack frowned, surprised, but figured the girl...woman, really...was too big for him to be chasing. Besides, she'd grown up here and the mess sergeants had no trouble tossing her out if she was causing any problems. With one last look at the doors to the kitchen, Jack shook his head and joined Daniel and Vala at the table where he'd left Sam.

"Vala, Daniel."

"General."

"Jack."

"Hungry, are you, General?" Vala gestured to the inordinately large volume of food on Jack's tray.

He simply grinned and continued to unload his choices, carefully placing the large bowl of soup in front of Sam before settling down to his meatloaf and mashed potatoes. "Well, you know...I have to do something to keep this girlish figure." A ripple of laughter followed his comment.

"You eat almost as much as Muscles." Vala looked around, realizing that their larger teammate was still missing. "Just where is Muscles, anyway?"

Seeing Jack's confusion, Sam explained. "Vala's loving little nickname for Teal'c. Vala, Teal'c contacted me an hour ago, he'll be back at the SGC tonight." Sam was very glad that Teal'c would be going with Jack on his mission. Short of herself, there was nobody she trusted more to watch Jack's six.

Jack quirked a smile at Vala. "See? Without Teal'c here I have to represent, you know."

Vala guffawed at his response before turning to Sam. The sadness in the Colonel's eyes stopped her laughter and Vala laid a hand over Sam's. "I'm sorry, Sam. I–"

Sam turned her hand up and gave Vala's a squeeze. "No, it's okay. You should laugh and have fun. I'd miss it if you didn't. I _will_ miss it." Daniel's hand joined Vala's and Sam gave them both a watery smile. When Jack put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed, Sam gave a short laugh. "Look, all of you, I'm _fine_. Really. It's...you're all leaving, and I've got hormones, and I'll be here...alone."

"You'll have Siler." Jack quipped softly, hoping to draw Sam out of her mood.

Her soft snort of laughter was his reward. She quickly dried her eyes and was glad when Cassie suddenly appeared. Sam reached out and hugged the young woman to her side, wiping the last of her tears on Cass's shoulder. Cass snagged another chair and eased it next to Sam's, holding the older woman's hand in hers. She lifted it and raised an eyebrow to Sam.

"Hey, Sam? Everything's out in the open now, right? I mean, not that you were doing anything...oh hell, you know what I mean. Everybody's okay with you guys being together, right? So, how come you don't wear your rings?"

"Ring."

Cass looked from Sam to Jack in confusion. "Ring? As in singular? I'm sorry, I know I was at the wedding, so there's at least _one_, isn't there?"

Jack grinned at Cass, then leaned over and flipped Sam's long hair away from her neck, revealing her ear.

Cass gasped as she noticed the diamond stud shining brightly in the woman's earlobe. She quickly pulled Sam around and checked the other side, murmuring, "Holy Hannah, how did I ever miss _those_?"

Vala grinned at Cass's enthusiasm for the jewelry and she nudged Daniel, saying proudly, "Ah, see? There's a girl after my own heart." She exchanged glances with Cassie, adding, "You do well, my young apprentice."

Grinning back at Vala, Cass returned the wink and turned again to Sam. "So?"

"When Jack proposed we couldn't exactly, ah..."

"Flaunt it?"

Sam grimaced and shook her head. "More like _acknowledge_ it."

"That sucks."

Jack nodded. "It does. Or did. But...let's not dwell." He and Sam exchanged loving glances at his words and he gave her the barest whisper of a wink before turning back to Cass. "Besides," Jack said, waving his own hand at Cass, "I wear _mine_, so doesn't that count for something?"

"Of course it does." Sam leaned into him for just a moment.

Jack quirked a smile at his wife, continuing his explanation to Cass. "Anyway, I decided that since we couldn't go the traditional route, I'd find something better. Besides, I figure two is definitely better than one, right, Vala?"

"Absolutely, General. I certainly do like your style." Vala nudged Daniel again. "Paying attention, Doctor?"

Daniel just smiled at Vala, his attention still on his friends. "I thought it was a brilliant, pardon the pun, solution. The only problem was that it took Walter _weeks _to figure it out."

"Walter?" Cassie was obviously trying to figure out what the Chief Master Sergeant had to do with anything.

"Sure. He's the one with the book. It took me a month to convince him that the earrings were the same as an engagement ring and to close the book on that bet. It was really Teal'c who convinced him, finally." Everyone laughed at Daniel's wry comment, knowing that Teal'c had good reason to close the book, as he'd won the pool, and he could be quite convincing when he wanted to be.

Cass noticed that Sam's smile faded quickly. "You okay, Sam?"

"Yeah, Cass. I am. Just...you know." Sam sniffed again. "Anyway..." Sam pulled out the chain holding her dog tags and showed Cass the ring resting alongside the rubber-coated tabs. "...my hands swelled a bit on the flight out here from Area 51, so I moved it back to my chain. For now."

"Gotcha" Cass glanced around the table, then rubbed her hands together. She looked a little nervous but, with an encouraging nod from Daniel, plunged ahead. "Look, you guys," she said, addressing Sam and Jack. "I, ah...well, I can't tell you how excited I am to be an aunt. Or a big sister, or whatever it is I'll be. And since Jack's leaving..." Cass trailed off, her voice trembling a bit. Jack pulled Cass into his lap, not caring that she was probably years past the age for cuddling. Cass didn't seem to mind, simply wrapping one arm around Jack's shoulders and sliding the other around Sam's, pulling her close. "Okay, here's the thing. We all know that when you," she poked Jack in the chest, "mess round with Ancient stuff, things go a bit...wrong sometimes. So...I wanted to have a little mini baby shower. Here. Right now. Just in case you're gone for more than four and a half months." Biting her lip she glanced between her surrogate parents, the two who'd been there for her and with her from the very start.

Sam caught her breath in surprise, another round of tears springing up to spill gently from her eyes. She simply nodded and smiled, turning those incredible blue eyes to Jack. He looked equally stunned and bent to kiss Cass on the cheek. "I, ah..." Jack cleared his voice, glancing up at the ceiling to regain his composure. "Thanks, kiddo. Yes, I think you'll make a great big sister."

Vala suddenly clapped her hands and stood. "Great!" She nudged Daniel and he, in turn, waved an arm toward the kitchen. They turned to find the mess staff decked out in party hats and streamers, carefully carrying a large cake into the room.

"Sweet! Cake!" Jack stood and grinned down at Sam. "Heck, Carter, I'd have done this with you years ago if I'd known it meant cake!"

Sam's laughter joined his as Vala, Daniel and Cassie began producing brightly wrapped packages from under tables and behind cabinets. Cam, not to be left out, arrived in the doorway pushing a large box on wheels that suspiciously resembled a stroller. Jack rolled his eyes at the poor job they'd done of disguising the gift.

"Geez, Mitchell. Remind me that you're not to be in charge of camouflage if we need it. Anyone with eyes can see what that is."

Siler and Harriman stepped through the door, each also bearing a small wrapped package. Siler, hearing O'Neill's last comment, simply grinned at his former CO. "Oh, I don't know, Sir. Could be a new MALP, or even a FRED. Right, Colonel?"

Sam, having given up and just continuing to wipe tears from her face, simply smiled and nodded. She leaned into Jack where he stood behind her, covering his hand where it rested on her shoulder and giving his fingers a squeeze.

Jack leaned down and whispered, "You okay with all of this?"

"I am. We have good friends, don't we?"

"We do." Ignoring everyone for a moment and putting aside the fact that he was leaving and the threat of the Hive to their planet, Jack allowed himself to be lost in Sam's eyes. "We not only have amazing friends, _Carter_, we have an incredible family. And nothing will keep me from coming back to them. Or to you."

"Nothing?"

"Wild horses, Colonel. Wild horses."

Jack bent and gave her a soft kiss, his lips warm and pliant on hers, and Sam gave herself up to the moment. They never indulged in overt displays of affection while on duty. Neither was comfortable with it, and the years spent hiding how they felt about each other had forced them to exercise caution and discretion in every interaction they had, even here, deep inside the SGC. Especially here. Now, however, she gave herself up to it...to him. To them. She was here, with Jack, with her family, and for this one, perfect moment, all was right with the world.


	6. Chapter 6

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Situation Room

0905 (local)

Chief Harriman stood a short distance from Colonel Carter, waiting for her to finish her briefing. He glanced again at his watch and then through the windows over to the control room for the Stargate. He nodded once to Sgt. Cavanaugh's wave and stepped forward, he couldn't wait any longer.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but I've got General O'Neill on the comm. He says it's urgent."

Sam nodded sharply and turned to Davis. "Sorry, Paul. I'll be back in a bit." She turned to Harriman. "Walter, can you pipe it to my...um, Landry's office?"

"Yes, Ma'am, already done." Harriman led Sam back to her office then spoke into his headset. "Cavanaugh? Go ahead with the feed, the Colonel's ready." The Chief waited until Sam's screen flickered and lit up before leaving the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

"_Carter? Can you hear me?" _Jack's voice was scratchy and the signal kept flipping at odd intervals, but to Sam he looked wonderful.

"Yes, Sir. I'm here." She could just make out Daniel moving behind him, talking excitedly with Colonel Everett Young. Young's team has been a last minute addition to the expedition to Daniel's Ancient library, as he was calling it. Both Jack and Cam had been very unhappy with the addition of Young and his team, if you could call them that. Not to mention the Senator from the IOA who'd insisted on going along too.

On her screen Jack yanked off his hat and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. _ "We're here and Daniel's having fits about what he's finding. We're going to have to...for...days...the...s..lar... fla.............g hav........" _The video and audio signal faded at the same time, and the screen flickered madly, the strobe-like effect causing Sam to squint her eyes.

"General? General O'Neill?" Sam tapped her earpiece sharply. "Walter? What's happening with the signal, is the wormhole stable?"

Walter's voice was low in her ear, his tone distracted as he worked the problem. "It seems fine on this end, Colonel, but if the Odyssey's not able to boost the signal enough–"

Jack's voice cut in again, the video feed following soon after. _"...er? Do you read?"_

"Yes, General. I understand you want to stay for another few days, that Daniel needs that time to gather more information?"

"_Yes, that's .....ect. He and Hitchcock are beside themselves with the information they're finding here." _Jack looked away from the screen for a second then back up again. Thankfully Walter had managed to smooth the transmission and the screen had stopped flickering. _"Jamison has the Odyssey in low orbit and his science teams haven't reported any other humanoid life signs on the planet. How are things there?"_

Sam debated with herself for the flash of a second. On the one hand she knew that if Jack knew how close the Hive ship was to Earth he'd be back here in an instant, Ancient device or no Ancient device. On the other hand she knew that she had a duty, as he did, to find bigger and better weaponry to use against future attacks. In the end, training won out. Her CO, former or otherwise, wanted a sitrep, so she gave it. "The Wraith are here, General. Parked out at the edge of the system, waiting for...we don't know what. I've recalled Sheppard and he should be here any moment. As soon as he arrives, we're gonna get him out to 51 and put him in the Chair. We should be good here, Sir."

Jack shaded the sun from his eyes and peered into the small camera on the MALP, as if by moving closer to the camera he could be closer to Sam. _"Now? They're here, I mean there, _already_? Damn, I thought we had a few more weeks. Aw hell, and we've got the Odyssey tied up here. I _knew_ that was a bad plan! You're sure you're okay, Carter"_

"Yes, Sir. We need whatever it is you're going to find for us out there, and you needed the ship in case whatever it was you found was too big to get through the gate." Sam lifted her chin, reminding Jack that this line of communication would be monitored and recorded. "What's Daniel's plan, once he gets his glyphs translated? How about the rest of the team?"

"_Well, Mitchell and Young are having a bit of a 'whose is bigger' contest to see who goes through the gate first, using the mini wormhole booster doohickeys you were so excited about. I think that I've made it clear to all of them that it really does say 'General' on my uniform and if anyone goes through first, it'll be me. After all, I'm the only guy who can turn 'em on."_

Sam tried to hide her reaction to that statement, her hand moving down to rub her stomach – weather to ease her sudden nausea at the thought or to comfort the child within she wasn't sure. Jack going through that gate was a bad idea, she could feel it in her bones. "General..._Jack_...I..."

"_Relax, Sam. Nobody's going anywhere 'till we get the MALP through. And we can't get that through until Daniel and young Hitch do their thing. For that matter, we have to wait for the solar activity to die down a bit too. Odyssey's been having some comm issues because of that, too."_ A shout off screen caught O'Neill's attention. _"Oh, yeah. Tell Lam that the next time she wants to saddle me with a field 'medic, she can send Jons along again. Kid's pretty good, stitched Nash and Stasiak right up, no problems."_

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Stitched?"

"_Yeah, seems our VIP's kid wanted a tour dirtside. She convinced Jamison to send her down, and the young Lieutenant and the Marine were, quite literally falling all over themselves to show Carpenter around. What the hell was the IOC thinking, giving her clearance for something like this? Anyway, while Young, Mitchell and I were exploring, the three kids decided to take their own tour, the guys showing off for the lady, if you get my drift. Nash has shiner that'd do a Stanley Cup winner proud and Stasiak will be fine. I told him that the scar gives him a 'rakish look."_ Jack grunted in disgust. _"Little idiots. Were we ever that young, Carter?"_

Despite her worry for him and the press of their current situation, Sam smiled wistfully. No, she didn't think she'd ever been that young, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "Well, General, I don't know about you, but..."

"_Very funny, Colonel. We'll discuss that when I get back." _ Jack rocked back on his heels, then leaned into the camera again. _"Walter? You on here?"_

The Chief's voice came through Carter's headset. _"Yes, Sir. What can I do for you, General?"_

"_You can do what we discussed last week before I left, Chief. Right about..._now_."_ Sam's screen flickered for a second or two, then Jack's face came on again. _"Sam?"_

"Yes, General?"

"_It's okay, Sam. Walter is suddenly having difficulty with the data recorder. It's just you and me. How are you, really, Sam? You okay? The baby? Cass? Siler giving you a hard time?"_

Reaching out to touch the screen, Sam traced his features on the flat surface and chuckled softly. "Other than the threat of imminent life-sucking death by bleached-out aliens in bad dreads, we're fine here." She took a deep breath, correctly reading his frown. "Really, Jack. Stay there, get a really big honkin' space gun and we'll hold the fort here. John can run the Chair as well as you can and you're needed there. Just..."

Jack's voice was low, his eyes intense on her screen. _"What? What, Sam?"_

"Please, _please_, don't step through that gate, unless it's to come home. I mean it. I have the worst feeling about it." She hated to play this card, but she couldn't fight the feeling of impending disaster every time she thought of him activating that ninth chevron and stepping through the gate into the unknown. "Promise me, Jack. For us." Sam looked down at her belly and then back up into the camera. "Please." She knew what she was doing and what she was asking, and for once she wasn't above using the hold she had on him to make her point.

There was a long moment of silence, Jack standing frozen hundreds of light-years away as he listened to her pleas. Finally, slowly, he nodded. _"Okay, Sam. For us. I promise."_ Jack glanced down at his watch, knowing his three minutes of unmonitored time was at an end. _"And Sam? Take care of yourself, of both of you...for me."_

Sam nodded as Harriman rapped lightly on the door before popping his head in. He held up his index finger, signaling to Sam that the digital recording would pick up again in one minute. Same waved her understanding and addressed Jack again, "General? It looks like the Chief has fixed whatever the glitch was. We'll plan on your departing for home in three days time, unless we hear otherwise. I'll send a data burst if there are any updates on our end, and the SGC will await your twenty-four hour check-in at..." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "...0900 local tomorrow, local." She watched as Jack received the message and nodded, already pulling his cap back low over his eyes and donning his favorite sunglasses.

"_Roger that, Colonel. Talk to you tomorrow. O'Neill out."_

The red light on her monitor blinked off, telling Sam that the built-in camera was no longer broadcasting. She sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Just a minute. She'd take one short minute and then get back to Davis. Just as she was about to stand, Walter tapped again at her door.

"Colonel? We've got an incoming wormhole from Atlantis. Colonel Sheppard's IDC."

"I'll be right there, Walter." Sam rose and straightened her uniform as Walter left her office. She gave her loose BDU shit a final tug and ran a hand over her hair before opening the door and heading to the gateroom to greet Sheppard. It was going to be a really long day.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: It's New Years Eve 2008, so you may have to wait a day or more for an update. We'll be heading back to California sometime tomorrow (by car) and updates will depend upon weather and Internet access. Thanks to those who are faithfully reviewing, I'm so happy you're enjoying this story! And now...

P3C-539  
Temple Ruins  
1155 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain time)

"Daniel!" Jack called out a third time, beginning to get irritated. Oh, who was he kidding, he'd been irritated for hours...days, even. Checking once more around the nearby crumbling pillars, he couldn't see anyone. Damn, he'd been upstairs–their term for being back up on the Odyssey, resting in high orbit around the planet–for less than twenty minutes! Keying his mic he called again, "Dammit, Daniel! The only reason you'd better have for not answering me is that you're dead, and even _then_ I won't buy that excuse!" The silence that followed his comment was broken finally by a voice that was most definitely not Daniel's.

"_Uh, General O'Neill, Sir?"_ Lt. Jared Scott's voice broke on the last word, forcing a chuckled out of O'Neill despite his frustration with Daniel.

"Go ahead, Scott."

"_Yes, General. Sir, Colonel Young asks you to join him on the south rim of the crater. You know the place, General? Near where Odyssey, um, originally beamed us down?"_

"Copy that, Lieutenant. Is Dr. Jackson with you?"

"_Yes, Sir, he is. He's ah...well, General, his gear is up here and he's down in the–" _

A burst of static cut off the end of _Scott_'s transmission and Jack grunted again in disgust. Damned solar flares had been playing havoc with their comm since they'd arrived five days before. He glanced at his watch before turning to begin making his way over Young and his team at the crater. Keying his mic again he called upstairs. "Odyssey, this is Sierra Golf One, over?"

"_Go ahead, Sierra Golf One. You've got Jamison, what's up, General?"_

"Odyssey, do you have a read on all members of the team dirtside?"

"_Affirmative, General. Per your orders, the med team has been rotating shifts covering the ground team's movements. Everything okay, Sir?"_

Jack scrambled up the last of the hill between him and the rest of his team. Using a small sapling for support, he pulled himself up and over the rim to find his team gathered near a small opening. Some of his team, anyway. The dirt there was darker, fresher. Obviously Daniel had been busy digging in the dirt again. "I'm not sure, Odyssey, but...keep an ear open on this channel from now on, would you?"

"_Copy that, General. Continuous monitoring of all dirtside comm starting now. Jamison out."_

As Jack approached the newly excavated opening in the hillside, Daniel poked his head out of the hole. Spotting Jack he quickly scrambled out, brushing dirt and twigs from his knees as he approached.

"Jack! I was just going to call you over."

"Daniel, I've been trying to reach you for ten minutes. Where the hell have you been?"

"Oh, ah, sorry. I...the opening was quite narrow, so I left my..." Daniel stopped at the look on Jack's face. "I know, sorry, Jack."

O'Neill looked around, noting Young's stormy face as he paced near the open hole. "Where are Mitchell and Vala? Or the rest of Young's team, for that matter?"

"They're still down below." Daniel began pulling Jack's arm, dragging him toward the hole they'd made. As they approached Jack could see that Daniel and his team had uncovered a stone doorway, its edges carefully chiseled out of a yellowish rock face.

"You moved that?" Jack asked, gesturing to the large cover stone that lay nearby.

"Yeah. Well, it was mostly Teal'c and Ron. Guy can't hold a candle to Teal'c but he's pretty strong." Daniel shrugged. "Took a little wiggling, but we got it moved." He led Jack inside, switching on his large handheld lantern as they descended.

The passageway was narrow but not too confining, and Jack found that he didn't have to duck, although he found himself doing so anyway, automatically. They followed the passage, Jack noting that they were not only climbing, but they'd been steadily following a curving route. "Daniel? Are we going in circles, here?"

"Yeah, I think so. Hitch has been GPSing as we go, so we should have a complete map when we get back upstairs."

The passage twisted again, opening suddenly into a large, circular room. As they entered the room began to light slowly, lights flickering and turning on in a cascading sequence fanning out from their position. Jack looked around for the source of the light, getting only a puzzled grin from Daniel. Teal'c, Cam, Vala, Lieutenant _Scott_, and Captain Jon all looked up from what they were doing as the lights began to glow all around them.

"Jackson! What did you touch?" Cam's sharp voice echoed across the room, his slight southern twang more evident with his irritation.

Daniel merely looked at Jack who was smirking slightly at him, eyebrow raised. "Guess you told him about that, eh?"

"I may have mentioned it when he got command." Jack waved at Cam. "It wasn't Daniel, Mitchell. His hands never left his...arms. Promise."

"Then why's everything suddenly turning on?" _Scott_ backed away from the panel he was examining, looking to O'Neill for answers, his voice reflecting his nerves.

"Got me, I seem to have that effect on Ancient stuff." Jack turned to Daniel. "You didn't know this was here, did you?"

"No. I needed you here to do what you did two days ago, activate the pods we found. The..."

"Yeah, the wormhole booster rockets or whatever Carter called them."

"Right. I was right in that they required someone with the Ancient gene to turn them on, and since they wouldn't activate for you back on Earth, Sam and I assumed they had to be here. And 'here' meant that there had to be something else...here." Daniel picked up his journal, flipping back a few pages to show Jack his notes. "Anyway, I had Odyssey's geo team do a survey using Naquadah traces as their starting point, and they pointed me toward..." Daniel gestured back over his shoulder to the doorway he and Jack had just come through.

"Okay, well...now what?"

"Now what? Jack! There must be..._tons_ of information here. And this looks like it could be a control room, so. You're here, you seem to activate stuff. So...go...activate something. Let's see what happens."

"Jackson, we've talked about that." Cam's voice again cut across the brightening cavern.

Seconding Mitchell's comment, Jack nodded. "Yes, Daniel. We have. We don't go around just 'activating' odd alien artifacts, remember?"

"What do you want me to say, Jack? You turned on the pods two days ago and nothing's happened."

"Yet." Cam's dry comment echoed throughout the room.

Jack shrugged and began moving around the room, leaving Daniel to flip through his journal, looking for a starting point. Daniel was right, Jack knew. There was only one way to find out what all of this did, he was just reluctant to take that leap if there was another way. He stopped behind Eli Hitchcock, peering over the younger man's shoulder. "What've you found, Hitch?"

"Not much, Boss. I, ah, well, Dr. Jackson can explain it better, but I really think we're onto something here. I, ah, was able to turn on a few things...not really sure why." He waved to the room, various panels and alcoves still coming online, all since the General's arrival. "And now this... Well, hell's bells, Boss, it's like Christmas!"

Jack clapped the computer geek on the shoulder, not minding his somewhat relaxed attitude. The kid reminded him of Carter with his love of all things mathematical, complicated, and computerized. His attitude, however, really reminded him of a...younger _him_...he supposed. Kind of a mix of the two of them, Carter and himself. It made him wonder if their child would have similar qualities to young Hitch. Fighting off a sudden wave of melancholy at the thought, Jack patted Hitch on the shoulder again before moving on.

"Daniel, I don't see a chair, or any sign of anything resembling a big, honkin' space gun. You know that's what Carter asked for, and we can't disappoint her. I'm not coming home with just a lousy t-shirt. And rocks."

Daniel grinned, joining Jack at the central console in the room. This bank of controls and screens faced what Hitch had verified was the eastern wall of the cavern. That wall held the largest screens, all blank until Jack had entered the room. Now they were slowing coming online, each displaying a separate set of, if Daniel understood them correctly, star charts. The walls curving away from the eastern end each held a series of alcoves, about two feet wide by eight feet tall. Some of the alcoves, Jack noticed, looking more carefully, were actually doorways leading to darkened hallways. Each side held about thirty of the alcoves and both sides met in a large, circular doorway behind them, on the side of the cavern opposite the large screens. Jack could make out the small opening of the doorway he'd come through with Daniel. The faint traces of outside light still filtered down through the passageway, illuminating the small door through which they entered. Waving a hand toward the wall behind him, Jack asked, "Daniel? Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, another Stargate."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Daniel. There's a perfectly good Stargate not a half a mile from here. I know it's perfectly good because," and Jack ticked off the reasons on his fingers. "_One_, SG-1 and I, came here three weeks ago via that very same Stargate, and _B_," he continued, raising his second finger, knowing perfectly well he was screwing up his ordinals. "...I just used it to dial home to check in." Cocking his head to one side, Jack studied Daniel and waited. After a minute he grimaced and said again, "So...Daniel...why the second gate?"

"I...ah, don't really know Jack. Teal'c, Vala? Any ideas?"

Vala left the small group she'd been huddled with, aware that the men of the new team were following her every move. She gave Jack a small smile before coming up and sliding her arm around Daniel's waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, still looking around the room as she answered his question. "I have no idea, Daniel. I've never seen two gates together and my memories of Katesh...no, she hadn't either, as far as I can tell."

Teal'c nodded in agreement. "The only reason that I know of for the Goa'uld to put a second stargate on a planet was if the first was lost to them."

"And neither of these seem to be lost..." Jack considered for a moment. "Okay, this was was a little...buried, but...hardly lost. Right?"

"Maybe it's for...well, wait. We tried using the, ah, booster pods," Daniel looked at Jack. "...to dial the set of coordinates we found repeated on the temple pillars. I mean, we tried dialing them using the gate up...er, the outside gate. Nothing, right?"

"Right. So..." Cam waited for Daniel to continue.

"You think that the extra coordinates will work on this gate, don't you?" Vala's question was sharp, she pinned Daniel with her sharp gaze.

"Yeah. I think it just might."

Jack checked his watch and then turned back at Daniel. "Okay look. Here's the deal. As much as I like the idea of dialing up yet another galaxy and going exploring, we've got some issues here at home. Or..._there_ at home. According to Carter, the Wraith are already in our galaxy. We have to find something here, _anything_, that will help. Daniel, I want you and little Einstein over there to start going through the computer systems. Teal'c, you're with them. Mitchell, you and Vala explore more along the passageway and see if there's a weapons locker or something like that." Jack keyed his mic. "Colonel Young, I'm sending Stasiak back up with you, keep the doorway open for us and keep an eye out for unfriendlies. Take a look around if you can while you're at it. _Scott_ and Jon, you're with me, let's see what else we can find in the other rooms."

Satisfied that everyone knew their assignments, Jack nodded once to his new team and headed for the door furthest from the new Stargate. He keyed his mic as they walked. "Odyssey, O'Neill, over."

Faint static accompanied the response from the ship, but Jack was satisfied that it would do. _"Go ahead, General."_

"You heard that last?"

"_Copy that, General, we're actively monitoring."_

"Fine. First sign of trouble and you beam us directly back. And Jamison?" Jack paused, stepping just slightly away from the two youngster's he'd seconded to his team. "Pull the newbies up first, got it?"

"_Odyssey copies, General."_

With one last look behind him at Daniel and Hitch bent over the now brightly active central console, Jack took a deep breath and entered the darkened alcove.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Surprise! An update on New Years Day...just before we hit the road. Because we're traveling the next two day, I thought I'd post this one and hopefully another at the hotel tonight – since I know I won't have time/energy/Internet connection the day after. Thanks to all who have been faithfully reviewing...if you review through I can respond. If you review anonymously I can't – unless you include an email address in your reply. I savor and answer every note from you. Happy New Year to all of you!

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Situation Room

1422 (local)

Paul Davis sat, along with the others in the situation room, staring in stunned disbelief at the images on his screen. Behind him stood the Colonel, her fingers gripping the edge of his chair so hard her knuckles were showing white with the strain. Paul glanced up at her, then looked quickly away. The pain on her face was too much for him to see. Sam Carter was the strongest woman he knew and he could sense that she was terribly close to the edge. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was low and rough, her emotions held tightly in check, more in control than she had looked just a second before.

"Casualties?" Carter's snapped out demand for information startled more than one person in the room. Suddenly everyone around her found something to do and the room once again hummed with activity.

Davis looked to Michaels who, after checking her notes, said softly, "One hundred and forty-seven. We'd evacuated most of the personnel at the facility, and all non-military support. The last group was actually not even on site when..." Michaels trailed off, her voice breaking. Carter knew that Michaels's fiance was assigned to Area 51. Was.

Keeping his own voice low and even, Davis finished the report. "They were in the transport. Colonel Miller didn't want to leave the Chair in case... She waited too long." Davis shook his head, knowing this last part would be hardest for the Colonel to hear. "Colonel? The, ah, _General Hammond_..."

Sam reached down and laid her hand on Paul's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "I know, Paul." She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself one minute to grieve the loss of the ship that had, for such a short time, so proudly borne the name of a man she'd loved and respected.

John Sheppard's exhausted voice came over the Comm. "_Stargate Command, am I seein' what I think I'm seein?"_

Sam returned her hand to the back of Paul's chair, one part of her brain scrambling to come up with another plan, the other part jibbering with relief that Jack was indeed offworld with Odyssey–that he hadn't been at Area 51 as they'd planned before Daniel's discovery. "It was a nice try, John, there were just too many of them." She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Chair's been destroyed." The hiss and pop of the open comm channel was Sheppard's only reply. Before she could settle on a new battle plan, she saw the blip that was Sheppard's ship suddenly change its trajectory. "Sheppard, what're you doing!"

"_I got an idea."_

Davis checked his sensor readings. "He's climbing rapidly, he's heading into the upper atmosphere."

Sam leaned forward and slapped the comm channel open. "Sheppard, your orders are to return to the base!"

"_I still got a nuke, I'm gonna finish this mission."_

"You don't have enough fuel, you'll never make it to the Hive."

"_He got what he wanted, he's gonna come to us."_

Sam could hear the anger and frustration in John's voice.

Davis nodded, his eyes glued to his monitor. "He's right. The Hive ship has changed course, they're on their way."

"_I've got enough fuel to establish orbit. Then I'm gonna shut everything down except for basic life support. That way he won't detect me 'till it's too late."_

Damn it, sometimes Sheppard was more like her husband than either of them liked to admit. This was exactly the kind of stunt Jack would pull. But, Sam knew, if Jack were to do it his odds of survival were much higher. He was just that good. And lucky. "Even if that _does_ work, given what we know about this ship, one nuke is not going to be enough."

"_No, not from the outside." _Sam and Paul exchanged glances as John continued. _"I'll wait for them to enter orbit, I'll fire up my systems, shoot my way through the Dart bay door, and fly the damned bomb right down his throat. Then...I'll detonate from the inside."_

Sam caught her breath, feeling Davis's gaze on her, along with the eyes of everyone in the room on her. Damn. Damndamndamndamn. She closed her eyes for a second, then said, "John, I can't ask you to do that."

A long moment of silence over the comm channel was broken finally, Sheppard's voice heavy with fatigue and regret. _"Well, you're not asking, I'm volunteering. Look, without that Chair, Earth is basically defenseless, right?"_

Sam again looked at Davis, both officers knowing that Sheppard was correct. Sheppard answered his own question, his voice now stronger, more determined.

"_Right. Commencing radio silence, Sheppard out."_

The stillness over the open comm channel echoed through the suddenly quiet room. Sam stood, slapping her palm against the table. "Damn it! _Damn_ it!" She spun and stepped away from the formerly austere briefing table, hating the clutter, the bedlam of computers, monitors, and cables that now dominated the room. For just a minute she let herself wish for the impossible, to be werever Jack was, with all of this someone else's problem. A hesitant voice at her elbow brought her focus back into the present.

"Colonel?"

"Yes, Sergeant?"

"The President's on line one, he wants an update."

Sam looked at Paul, gesturing to the office that had suddenly become her own. He nodded his understanding before returning his gaze to his monitors, as if staring at them would reveal different information.

Settling heavily into the large leather chair behind Landry's desk, Sam wearily reached for the phone, gathering her thoughts for what was sure to be an...uncomfortable... conversation. "Yes, Mr. President, this is Colonel O'Ne–" Sam caught herself, then shrugged. What the hell did it matter now, anyway? "Yes, Sir. Colonel O'Neill. Yes, and thank you for that. Thank you, Sir, I'll pass that on to Jack when I see him. How can I help you, Sir?" Sam turned away from the door, focusing on the soothing warm cherry bookshelves behind her, one hand automatically going to the ring nestled on the chain around her neck, seeking comfort in the familiar shape. As she briefed the President, Sam absently traced the single word engraved on the inside of the simple gold band with its seven channel set diamonds, the word engraved on her heart long before it was set on this ring. _Always._


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I didn't mention in the last chapter and should have so I'll do it now, since I'm doing the same in this and subsequent chapters. The dialogue between Sheppard and Sam (and other recognizable things from the episode) was transcribed by me but not written by me. I know I'm treading on copyright issues, all fanfic writers do. I can only say this. Brad W. or Joe M., if you're reading this and enjoying it, drop me an email and let me know. Or, even better, hire me to write for SG:U!.

Short update from our dandy little hotel in Flagstaff. One more day of travel then home. Thanks again, everyone, for your continued feedback and support. And now, back to our story...

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

SGC Headquarters

Situation Room

1457 (local)

Sam reentered the situation room and found Paul staring intently at a large monitor mounted on a desk adjacent to the large window overlooking the gateroom. She barely noted the cluster of people standing at the bottom of the ramp, knowing that Colonel Reynolds was handling the evacuation of "dignitaries" and essential personnel. She was grateful that Cassie had gone to the Alpha site with the first group, the young woman's SGC credentials as an intern here on the base allowed Sam to get her clearance for the evacuation list with a minimum of effort and fuss. In the end, however, it hadn't mattered. Jack had immediately agreed with her proposal to include the families of all base personnel in the first waves sent to relative safety off-world. As she made her way through the situation room, Sam glanced through the windows at the control room, wondering at the delay in sending this last group through. She immediately dismissed the issue, Reynolds was on top of it. Sam asked Paul, "What's our status?"

"The Hive ship has almost reached Earth orbit. They've begun scanning us."

Glancing at the monitors on the table, Sam asked, "Any word from Sheppard?"

Davis's grim voice told Sam everything. "Not yet." He turned from his intense study of the monitor and returned to his seat. "According to my best estimates of his trajectory, his orbit won't intersect with the Hive's for another twenty minutes. Okay, and if he fires up too early–"

"They'll detect his presence and send out Darts to intercept."

"Yeah. He wouldn't stand a chance."

Before Sam could respond, Walter approached looking apprehensive. "S'cuse me, Colonel."

"What is it, Walter?"

"We've been trying to dial up the Alpha site to send through those IOA dignitaries?"

Sam nodded while Davis snorted and muttered sarcastically, "Typical IOA, courageous to the end."

Biting back a smile, Sam returned her attention to Walter. "What's the problem?"

Hesitating slightly, knowing he was going to toss another problem into the mix, a problem they simply didn't have time for, Walter sighed. "Can't establish a lock. And it's not just the Alpha site. I've already tried a couple of alternates, but for some reason," he glanced out the window at the large–and ominously still–stone ring, "the gate's offline."

Sam too looked out at the Ancient artifact, fighting her disbelief. She ran a frustrated hand through her hair and turned back as Walter returned to the control room. "Oh, for cryin'..."

- -

P3C-539

Underground Chamber Complex

1515 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain time)

"...out loud!" Jack stopped, waving Nash and Jon to a halt behind him. He keyed his mic, certain he'd misheard Daniel. "Daniel, what do you mean the gate has started spinning? What did I tell you about _touching_! Daniel!" The narrow stone corridor in which they'd stopped was softly lit, by what means Jack still couldn't tell. The lights had been powering up just ahead of their steps as they'd made their way from the control room. Nash and Jon stood just behind him, apprehensively eyeing each other. As Jack reached to key his mic again a large rumble shook the corridor and the air was suddenly filled with a fine, powdery dust. Jack immediately spun, shouldering aside his two rookie teammates and racing back the way they'd come. "Teal'c, where are you? Are you close to Daniel's location? Daniel! Dammit, answer me!"

Daniel's voice was pitched high with excitement, his staccato sentences firing like bullets from Jack's P90. Jack pulled his earpiece out slightly as he ran, Daniel was practically shouting into the mic. _"I swear, Jack! I haven't touched a thing. Hitch is able to turn a few things on by...oh boy."_


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Okay, a longer update to make up for the lack thereof yesterday. If you have a moment to spare for a quick prayer, my Pop has been readmitted to the hospital – his brain tumor is "progresssing" – which is a nice way of saying it's speeding up the process of killing him. So...pain-free prayers would be appreciated. Thanks. As always, feedback is appreciated and always answered (if you don't write me anonymously). Pol.

- - -

Cheyenne Mountain Complex  
SGC Headquarters  
Situation Room  
1528 (local)

"Colonel!" Walter rushed back into the room just as Sam noticed that the gate was starting to spin.

"Walter? You got it fixed?"

"No, Colonel. I just...started working again."

"_All right. I'd say it's time to get moving."_

Carter turned back to her monitors as Sheppard's voice came over her headset. She waved Walter back to his station. "Thanks, Walter. We'll look into it later. If there is a later."

"_Stargate Command, this is Sheppard, come in."_

Sam turned from the observation window, the wormhole snapping closed behind her. "Sheppard, where are you?"

"_I made it inside. Look, I don't have much time before this place is swarming with Wraith, so...I'm arming the nuke."_

Sam shook her head, still struggling to come up with a better plan. "John–"

"_Do me a favor, will ya? When Atlantis shows up...tell 'em I said goodbye."_

- -

P3C-539  
Underground Chamber Complex  
1535 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain time)

"Odyssey! Do you have a fix on the ground team!" Jack's breathing was labored as he and his team raced back up the way they'd come. Damn, he didn't think they'd traveled as far as they had, but now the distance seemed great as he scrambled to get back to the rest of his team. The rumbling in the building was getting louder and Jack would have sworn, if he hadn't known better, that he could hear the sound of an active..._oh shit..._is that a..._stargate_?

"_Affirmative, General, we've got a lock. Standing by for your orders."_

"Stand by to get us the hell off this rock at my signal." Jack would have missed the doorway if not for Jons grabbing his arm. He slid to a halt, signaling the other two to hold fast where they were. Jack peered carefully around the door frame, looking for all possible threats. Teal'c's sudden call startled him.

"O'Neill, the control room is clear. You may enter."

Stepping inside, Jack stopped, his mouth opening slightly in stunned amazement. The room looked very different from when he'd left. Every panel and alcove was lit up, including the large monitors at the shallow end of the room. And, at the far end, the rippling, pulsing event horizon of a wormhole. A very _large_ wormhole.

"Daniel, you've got a lot of 'splainin' to do!"

"Jack, I swear! I–"

"Uh, General, Sir. It was...ah, me. I think." Hitchcock's voice was high-pitched and nervous, the quaver in it unmistakable. He winced at the glare O'Neill shot his way.

Lieutenant Nash, still behind Jack in the doorway, sucked in a surprised breath at Hitch's words. He pulled Jons further into the room with him, automatically putting the large central console between them and the open wormhole.

Jack absently noticed the young officer's movement, the tactician in him approving of his instincts, even while turning his attention to Hitchcock. "What the hell do you mean, it's your fault?" Jack stepped up to the central control panel, his P90 still held at the ready. He looked up at the young computer genius. "And how the hell did you turn it on?"

"Jack, I think the more important question would be, can he turn it _off_? Or, can you?"

"Indeed, O'Neill. Our efforts to shut down the wormhole have been unsuccessful."

Jack shrugged and began pressing any button that looked viable. His 'no touching' policy went straight out the window when the gate became active. As he feverishly searched for a way to shut down the wormhole he asked Daniel, "Can you get any reading on what may or may not be coming thought the gate?"

"Ah...no. Jack, we activated it, there should be _nothing_ coming through. They only work one-way, remember?"

"Daniel, how certain are you that young _Alfred_ there is the one who turned activated the gate? How do we know someone _else_ didn't dial up our cozy little room here?"

Hitchcock started to protest, "My name's not Alfred, it's–"

Vala clamped a hand over his mouth. "Nobody cares, Junior."

Daniel's jaw snapped shut at Jack's words and he exchanged surprised glances with Teal'c. "Good point."

Jack paused in his search, keying his mic. "Colonel Young, any sign of unfriendlies up above?"

"_No, General. All clear down up here. Some shaking and rumbling...I'm assuming that was you guys?"_

Scowling at Daniel, Jack responded, "In a manner of speaking. Keep a sharp eye, things may be happening fast." Unconsciously looking up, Jack called upstairs. "Odyssey, this is O'Neill."

"_Go ahead, Sir, we're monitoring. Captain reports radar clear, no sign of any unwelcome visitors."_

"Copy that. Keep your hand near the 'beam-us-the-hell-out' button. O'Neill out."

Looking around the room at his unconventional team, Jack sighed. He raised his hat and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. God, he missed Sam.

"God, I miss Sam."

Startled, Jack turned, wondering for a moment if he'd spoken the words aloud. Daniel returned his gaze with a raised eyebrow worthy of Teal'c and they both turned to Cam.

"What? She'd know what the heck just happened and could probably tell us what address we'd dialed." Cam shrugged, turning away, his vigilant gaze back on the rippling event horizon. "I'm just sayin.'"

Vala stepped up onto the console. "General, why don't we send one of your machines through? You know, to see what's on the other side? Assuming, of course, that we're the ones who made it go in the first place."

Jack stared at her for a moment, thinking. "Teal'c, did your team find _anything_ remotely resembling a weapon or something equally useful?"

"We did not, O'Neill."

"Cam?"

"Same here, General. Nothing but hallways. Lots of long, empty–"

"Dark." Vala interjected.

Cam nodded, adding Vala's contribution. "...dark hallways."

Considering their words, Jack stared intently at the rippling surface of the event horizon. For just a second he was reminded of the first time Sam had stepped though their own stargate. The sheer uncensored joy on her face as she stared in awe at the phenomenon they'd so recently learned to control never failed to move him. Finally he turned toward Hitchcock. "Alfr...er...Hitch, do you remember where you were when the thing started dialing?"

"Um, yes, Boss. I haven't really moved far...I was afraid if I did something else might happen."

With a small smile at the young man's candidness, Jack turned to Daniel. "How long has it been active?"

Teal'c answered for Daniel. "Approximately seventeen minutes, O'Neill."

Acknowledging Teal'c answer with a nod, Jack looked around. "I don't see a DHD, does anyone else?"

Hitch glanced down at the console before him. "There's only this...swirly thing here, General. That's, ah, what I touched before everything went..."

"Wonky?" Jack keyed his mic again. "Okay. That means, if this thing acts like our regular wormholes, we've got another twenty-ish minutes to do some investigating. Odyssey, O'Neill, put Captain Jamison on the horn, will you?"

After a minute the captain of the Odyssey's voice came over the comm. _"O'Neill, this is Jamison."_

"Captain, I want you to beam down a MALP to this location ASAP. Can you do that?"

"_Yes, General, I'll have the Chief take care of that right away. Ah...we have a bit of a...situation up here, General. One of our...guests...is insisting that–"_

Jamison's voice was cut off with a sharp curse and what sounded to Jack like a scuffle. He and Teal'c looked at each other, concerned, and waited for the Captain to continue. Finally, his patience worn thin and acutely aware of the seconds ticking by, not only with the new wormhole behind him but back on Earth, Jack tried again. "Odyssey, this is General O'Neill. What the _hell_ is going on up there?"

A new voice, one that Jack had hoped not to hear on this mission, answered him. _"General, this is Senator Carpenter. I have informed Captain Jamison that if any new equipment is sent down to the planet, then I will be going along too. It is important that any first contacts made with...unknowns...be done in a proper manner."_

"Oh for cryin' out..." Jack glared upward, as if by simply being angry enough he could see right up through the ceiling and onto the ship. Goddamned politicians. He'd been furious when he'd been notified just twelve hours before their departure that Senator Carpenter would be joining the Odyssey's expedition. A short and tense conversation with the President had not only _not _yielded the results that he'd wanted, but Jack had discovered that the Senator was bringing along his _daughter_. His fucking daughter! Who the hell brought their kid on a mission to another planet? Jack had stormed around the SGC in a fury, oblivious to the personnel who sometimes literally ran the other way when they saw him coming. Sam had finally pulled him into her quarters and, using every trick she possessed, finally calmed him down enough to listen to her. She'd persuaded him that having the Senator along wouldn't be as disastrous as he imagined, that the stuffy politician would most likely remain onboard the Odyssey, unwilling to leave the comforts of his VIP quarters for the dirt and confusion they usually encountered offworld. She, as usual, had been correct. Jack hadn't seen the Senator at all on the trip out, and had only seen the Senator's daughter once, during her ill-fated–and unsanctioned–tour of the ruins. Now, however, he was faced with several problems. Not only was he painfully aware of every single minute that was passing for Sam, left on Earth to once again do the impossible, he now had a clock ticking on an active wormhole that his team–apparently–had activated and a Senator wanting to play Daniel Boone.

"Senator, you don't want to be down here, we don't know what we're going to run into. I have a small window of time here and want to get some information back. We don't know that we'll have this opportunity again."

"_General, either I come down with the equipment, or it doesn't come down at all."_

Jack frowned as Daniel tapped his watch. Time was ticking by. "Senator Carpenter, you have _no_ say in what happens on this mission. You are under my protection during your stay on the Odyssey, and you'd damned well better stay up there. End of discussion" Stepping off of the platform, Jack pulled a small sensor from his pocket. He laid it on the ground, well away from the others, and keyed his mic again. "Odyssey, I've activated the location beacon. Put the MALP right–"

A bright flash of light filled the room, and when Jack blinked the spots away, he looked and saw the MALP and..._sonofabitch!_ Standing beside the MALP, an insufferable sneer on his face, stood Senator Carpenter and...holy crap, was that his _daughter_?

"Are you out of your freaking _mind_?" Jacks shout echoed through the large room, causing several of the younger members of the team to jump in surprise. Jack advanced on the unwelcome duo, murder in his eyes. Daniel quickly intervened, certain that if he didn't, the Senator would meet a painful, and bloody, death right there in front of his daughter.

"Odyssey, this is Dr. Jackson. The, ah, packages arrived safely. Nice aim."

"_Ah, copy that, Sir. And...sorry about the, ah, extra passengers."_

Glaring across the room at the smug Senator's face and the equally self-satisfied look on his daughter's, Jack simply shook his head. This day just kept getting better and better.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay folks, here we go...five more days until _Enemy at the Gates_ airs, which means just five more updates and we're done! One chapter for every day this week with the final coming the day the show airs. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I truly appreciate it.

Once again, I've combined my own story with transcriptions from the episode. All kudos to M&M for their excellent work on this, Atlantis's final (and best) episode ever. Enjoy.

- -

Cheyenne Mountain Complex  
SGC Headquarters  
Situation Room  
1550 (local)

Walter stood silently while Sam read through the latest brief on the status of the evacuation to the Alpha site. With the gate working again, she hoped to get more people through to safety. "Walter, how's it looking upstairs?" They had two busloads of VIP's–or so they'd been designated by the IOA–scheduled to arrive in the next thirty minutes and Sam wanted them processed and through the gate without any delays. And preferably without any contact with her.

"We're good to go, Colonel."

After Sam initialed the report, verifying that she'd read it, Walter took the clipboard from her and left. Sam returned her attention to Paul, noting the increased tension in his hunched shoulders.

Davis's voice was stressed and he leaned closer to his monitor. "The Hive has completed surface scans."

Sam leaned in again over his shoulder. "They'll target military installations, then the power grid. They'll send the population into a panic. Then they'll launch the Darts."

Davis nodded, then his eyes widened as more data flowed across his screen. "That's it...they're powering weapons."

Sam quickly straightened, her gaze turning instinctively skyward and her tone sharp-edged as she activated the comm. "Sheppard, what's your status?"

"_We got Ronin, we're headed to the gate."_

"How much time?"

McKay's voice cut into the comm. _"Five minutes to get to the DHD, five minutes to set the coordinates."_

"_Ten minutes." _Sheppard panted into the radio as he ran.

Sam exchanged glances with Davis as Sheppard summarized McKay's estimate. She knew that her next words were signing not only Sheppard's death warrant but his team's too, but there wasn't really any other choice. It was time for John to detonate the nuke. Jack's voice echoed in her head, something he'd said to her years ago when she'd been questioning her ability to command. _Tough decisions come with the job, Carter. Sometimes you have to choose. The trick is to make things work in your favor, up the odds. It's all a balancing act._ Sam was out of options and had no other cards to play. "I'm sorry. The Hive is powering weapons. We're out of time."

"_Understood."_

Ducking her head for a second, Sam swallowed hard. _Damn it. They were so freaking close!_ She turned and stared at the screen, waiting for the symbol that was the Hive ship to disappear–snuffing out the lives of her colleague and his team–when Paul suddenly shouted and pointed. Sam's eyes widened and she frantically keyed her mic, "John, _wait_! We're detecting another ship!" Sam leaned closer over Paul's shoulder, unable to believe what she was seeing. The small tag on the new object read "ATL-1" and was quickly moving toward the Hive ship. Trying to keep some semblance of command calm in her voice, Sam called Sheppard, "It's Atlantis! They're engaging the Hive!"

"_Maybe they'll buy us enough time to get to the gate."_

Activity in the situation room slowed, everyone watched the progress of the flying city as it launched its attack on the Wraith ship. Helpless to do anything to assist either Atlantis or Sheppard's team, Sam leaned heavily against Davis's chair, fighting a wave of dizziness. God, she missed Jack. The large city dropped lower and lower into the planet's atmosphere, and Sam began to fear for the crew's safety–beyond the fact that they were engaged with a Hive ship–the city was in real danger of burning up if they didn't lift soon. Suddenly the large triangular symbol marked "HVE-1" flickered and blinked off of Paul's monitor.

"They did it! The Hive's been destroyed!" Davis's voice ripped through the room, reenergizing everyone present.

Scattered applause broke out in the room as Sam called the city. "Atlantis, this is Stargate Command. Well done." Even as the words left her mouth she stopped, stunned. What about Sheppard and his team? God, they hadn't still been on that ship, had they?"

Woolsey's tense voice came over the speakers. _"Thanks for the kind words, Colonel, but I wouldn't pop the Champagne just yet. We've lost orbit and Doctor Beckett is unable to compensate. We're going in!"_

"Do you have enough shields to survive reentry?"

"_We're about to find out."_

The situation room was deadly quiet as they waited for word from Atlantis. Sam mentally calculated the rate of descent of the large Ancient facility and grimaced. They were in for one hell of a ride if they made it through the atmosphere. Hopefully Beckett had enough control over their reentry to make their insertion as shallow as possible. How on Earth were they going to explain _this_ away? A large city streaking through the sky in full daylight? Sam shook her head, grateful that the explanations wouldn't be her problem, she had enough on her plate. She checked her watch and the readings onscreen, then took a deep breath. "Atlantis, this is Stargate Command, do you read?"

Nothing but the pop and crackle of an open comm channel answered her. Aware that the eyes of everyone in the room were on her, Sam forced her emotions down, masking her worry. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath, absently rubbing one hand over her stomach. Taking comfort from the warmth she felt there, the small life growing within, she thought of Jack, drawing strength from what they had created between them.

"Colonel!" Walter entered the room, his face flushed, and startling Sam with his abrupt entrance. "We've been monitoring radio chatter. Several commercial vessels in the north Pacific have reported a giant fireball streaking across the sky."

Davis buried his face in his hands as Sam tried again, her voice betraying her anxiety despite her best efforts. _Damn_. She fought off another wave of nausea and tried again. "Atlantis, this is Stargate command. _Do. You. Read_?" Only the faint sounds of fingers hitting keyboards as her staff frantically checked telemetry for some sign of the city was her answer.

"Atlantis, this is Stargate Command. _Please_ respond." Another long moment of silence followed, and Sam felt her heart sink to the floor, her last hope fading. Oh, God, all those people...

Suddenly a squelch sounded across the comm followed by Woolsey's exhausted voice. _"Stargate Command, this is Atlantis." _The sudden, relieved chatter of the personnel around her nearly drowned Woolsey's next words. _"Nice to hear from you, Colonel."_

Despite her worry over Sheppard and his team, Sam couldn't keep the grin from her face. "Mr. Woolsey, you gave us quite a scare!"

"_Sorry about that. We've completed our reentry, and as far as I can tell, we're still in one piece. Doctor Beckett thinks he can bring us in over water, but...you might want to alert the Navy. It's gonna be close."_

"Understood." Sam patted Davis briefly on the shoulder he zeroed in on Atlantis's location. She turned away, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. Through the large windows she saw the event horizon snap closed, following another wave of evacuees to Alpha. Disaster averted in the air as operations continued inside the mountain, and still the fate of John and his team unknown.

Davis's voice pulled her back. "We are tracking them again. We should be able to project coordinates for splashdown."

Sam turned and watched as the tracker flickered on the large display screen adjacent to the observation windows, a white symbol showing the city's current position and a leading red line highlighting Davis's best guess for the city's landing point.

"Walter, you'd better get me the President. It looks like Atlantis is coming home." Her eyes on the screen, Sam's thoughts were on Sheppard and his missing team. _Please be okay._ A year of working with Atlantis's primary team had made them a part of her extended family. Aside from the strategic impact of losing such a dynamic team, Sam ached at the thought of losing still more friends...more family...in this seemingly endless conflict.

"Colonel?" Walter's voice cut through her thoughts. "The President, line one."

"Thank you. Oh, and Walter? Dial up Alpha and see if they've had any...unexpected...guests."

Walter nodded and hurried back to the control room. A second later Sam heard the gate start spinning. As much as she wanted to wait to find out if Sheppard had made it to Alpha, she instead turned and headed toward the office that was quickly coming to feel like her own. As she reached for the phone she glanced at the clock. God, had it only been seven hours since she'd last spoken with Jack? It felt like a lifetime. Glancing through the door at the large screen tracking Atlantis's progress across the Pacific Ocean, Sam took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

"Mr. President, this is Colonel O'Neill. Sir, I hope you're sitting down..."


	12. Chapter 12

P3C-539  
Underground Chamber Complex  
1555 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain time)

Jack glared balefully at the Senator, grateful once again for Daniel's timely intervention. The Senator probably didn't realize it, but he owed his life to Dr. Jackson. Jack sucked in a deep, angry breath, struggling with his temper. He was aware of Daniel's concerned gaze and he finally managed to get himself back in control. God, he hated politicians. Finally, he nodded stiffly to Daniel, letting him know that it was safe–for the moment–for him to step aside. "Daniel, I want you to prep the MALP to go through the gate."

"Sure, Jack. I'm ah, gonna need Hitch..."

Jack waved Daniel away. "Sure, do what you need to. I'm going to have a little chat with our 'guest.'"

"Jack..."

"Relax, Daniel. I won't kill him. Yet." Jack gritted his teeth and advanced again on the unwelcome additions to the ground team, his eyes narrowed and his gaze fierce. Bad enough that the man had to interfere where he wasn't wanted, but it was unconscionable that he would endanger his own child's in an effort to...what? Make a point? Be 'first'? _Idiot._

Giving Jack a long and pointed look, Daniel reluctantly stepped aside. He glanced at Teal'c who merely lifted an eyebrow. Daniel gave Teal'c a more pointed look and Teal'c nodded, stepping closer to Jack. "Hitch, you're with me. Let's pair the MALP with your laptop so we can send it through."

Hitchcock shot a nervous glance in O'Neill's direction, obviously grateful the force of O'Neill's wrath wasn't directed at him. He gathered his gear and moved over to where Daniel and the MALP stood near the shimmering event horizon. Vala joined them while Cam, waving Nash and Jon to his side, returned to investigating the equipment in the alcoves around the room.

Senator Carpenter hadn't moved from where the Odyssey had beamed him down. He stood, arms crossed defiantly, his daughter wide-eyed and nervous at his side. He shifted slightly, positioning himself more fully in front of his daughter as O'Neill approached, as if she needed protection from the angry General.

Jack snorted in disgust, glancing again at his watch. "Daniel, I want that MALP through the gate in two minutes."

"Why send it at all, General? Why not just go through yourself?" Carpenter's voice was low, mocking. "Weren't you the CO of the _flagship_ team for many...many years?" The sarcasm was unmistakable.

"Senator, if you had ever bothered to read _any_ of our reports, you'd know that we never send anyone through the gate without first knowing what the heck we'll face on the other side." Jack glowered at the Senator before addressing the man's daughter. "Miss Carpenter, I believe you and I had an understanding?"

"Uh, yes, General, we did. But..."

"General, you may address me. My daughter is of no concern to you."

His jaw dropping slightly, Jack turned to Carpenter. "You're kidding, right? Your _daughter_, and you, unfortunately, are now _very much_ my concern."

"Now, see here, General–"

"Jack! We're good to go."

With a last scathing look at the Senator, Jack turned away. "Jon! I want you and Nash over here, now! Daniel, send that thing on through, we're losing our window." As Jon and Nash passed him, Jack snagged Jon's arm. He kept his voice low, for her ears only. "Captain, these two are your responsibility. Keep them the_ hell_ out of my way, got it?"

Captain Jon swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "Ye...yes, Sir. General. Understood." She rejoined her teammate, bending to pass on Jack's instructions, before addressing the Senator. "Senator, if you'll step over here with me, we can watch the MALP's progress from here." Without waiting for his response, Jon and Nash escorted the Senator away from the General–not so coincidentally putting the large central console between her charges and her commanding officer.

Jack watched as Jon efficiently moved the Senator aside and out of his immediate view. He noted her strategic positioning of the two Carpenters then caught her eye and nodded his approval. She reminded him of another bright young Captain he'd met in the briefing room, a lifetime ago, it seemed. Turning his attention to the MALP's progress, Jack strode to where Hitch was staring intently at his laptop's screen. Jack rocked his head back and forth, trying to relieve the tension in his shoulders. "How much time, Daniel?"

"We have another nine minutes before the wormhole shuts down, Jack. That is, if this one behaves like the others do."

"Yeah." Waiting for the MALP's signal to come back, Jack glanced around the room. "Mitchell? Any luck over there?"

"No, General. I can't figure any of this stuff out. None of it looks familiar."

"Keep at it. Vala, Teal'c, give him a hand, will you? More eyes couldn't hurt. T? If you see _anything_ that looks useful, sing out, eh?"

"I will, indeed, O'Neill."

"Boss? We're getting some data from the MALP." Hitch's voice rose with excitement. "Guess that answers the question, doesn't it?"

"What question?" Daniel frowned at Hitch.

"Looks like we're the ones who turned the thing on, doesn't it?"

Daniel frowned. "Took a long time to get a signal back though, didn't it?" Daniel was studying the structure supporting the gate. "I'm not expert, but it seems like the gate's drawing power from these...things." He shook his head, missing Sam as he fiddled with the power sensor she'd sent along with them. Her rudimentary explanation of how to use it didn't begin to cover what he now needed it to do. "It's like...if I'm reading this right...these perform the same function as those little pods we found. The ones we had Jack turn on the other day, but in a...wow, _much_ bigger way, if I'm reading this thing correctly." He turned to the young computer genius beside him, his gaze questioning.

Hitch shrugged and fiddled with his keyboard. "Dunno, Doc. But, we're getting telemetry back and...._whoa_."

Jack and Daniel both bent low over Hitchcock's shoulders, trying to understand what they were seeing. Jack squinted at the screen, unable to make out anything but blurry shapes. "Hitch, turn on the lights on that thing, will ya?"

"Uh, sure, Boss." Tapping out a few commands, Hitch activated the lights on the MALP. He sucked in a breath at the now clear images appearing on his screen.

"Daniel..."

"Oh...wow." Daniel grabbed his notebook and began flipping furiously through it. "Jack, I think we may have found the–"

Whatever Daniel was going to say was lost in the chaos that erupted as Jack's radio crackled to life while Colonel Young careened into the chamber, Stasiak close on his heels.

"General, we've got company! Four Darts–"

"_Sierra Golf One, this is Odyssey! We're taking fire, General, and I think you're about to have a lot of company!"_


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Just three more days until EatG airs! Woohoo! Longer update today, enjoy. Thanks for all of the great reviews, they're very gratifying.

- -

Cheyenne Mountain Complex  
SGC Headquarters  
Commissary  
1558 (local)

Sam nodded her thanks to the mess sergeant as he placed a steaming cup of hot chocolate before her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the rich chocolaty steam that curled up from the mug. Cupping it in her hands, she used the heat to warm her chilled fingers. Sam grimaced slightly as sensation returned to her hands, it seemed she was always cold these days. The only time she was truly warm was when Jack was with her...she firmly shook her head, chasing that thought away.

"You okay, Colonel?" Paul Davis's voice was edged with concern, his kind eyes on hers.

"Yes, just a little chill." She offered up a small smile, grateful for the Major's company...for the distraction.

"May I join you?"

Nodding as she sipped her drink, Sam waved him to a seat. "Sure, how's everything upstairs?"

"Walter says that Sheppard and his team safely gated to Alpha." Paul checked his watch. "In fact, they should be back on Atlantis just about...now."

"Speaking of Atlantis...?"

"Ah..." Davis checked his notes as he absently nibbled on a sandwich. With studied casualness he pushed the other half of his snack to Sam's side of the table, his attention carefully on his reports.

Sam raised an eyebrow at his out of character move before giving him a brief smile and reaching for the plate. Egg salad wasn't really her favorite, but she appreciated the gesture; and, she felt a little flutter in her abdomen, so did her little O'Neill passenger.

With a satisfied nod, Paul continued. "Yes, Mr. Woolsey says that Doctor Beckett managed to engage the cloak, so they're invisible. The Navy's got the entire seaway into San Francisco blocked off for now."

"Leaving only a really large dent in the water and no real reason for it to be there?"

"Well...yes. We're looking at places to relocate the city, I'll have options for you to present to the President very soon."

"Thanks, Paul. You've been...really...you did a great job today. I really appreciate your work. And your friendship." Sam watched as Davis ducked his head at her compliment, a faint flush on his cheeks.

"Ah, well, thanks, Colonel." Davis looked uncomfortable and quickly rose, shoving his chair back with a loud squeak. "Ah, you should, ah, eat more. I'll asked the mess sergeant to whip–"

"Paul." Sam's quiet voice stopped the Major before he'd taken two steps. "Please...just sit. Let's enjoy a few quiet moments before..." Sam shook her head. "Really. I'm good. Let's just...sit a minute, okay?"

Davis nodded and returned to his chair, picking up his coffee and drinking deeply. "Yes, Ma'am." He paused, then added, "General O'Neill always said you had the best ideas. Guess he was right."

Sam felt a smile cross her features at Paul's words. She liked this officer more and more every day. She sensed in him a kindred spirit, and it was nice.

- -

P3C-539  
Underground Chamber Complex  
1558 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain Time)

The entire chamber shook with the concussion of whatever it was the Wraith had fired at the entrance to their cavern. Fine particles of dust began to fall, making Jack's eyes water. He struggled to keep his footing on the heaving floor as another bombardment shook the earth, slipping in the accumulating dirt on the slick floor.

"_Sierra Golf One, do you copy!"_

"Yes, damn it!" Jack swore and raked the members of his team with a fierce gaze. "Odyssey, _get us the hell out of here!_"

"Jack, what about–"

"Damn it, Daniel, _not now_!"

"_General, we're a little busy at the moment, we'll get–" _The Odyssey's transmission ended with a loud crack.

Jack tried again to reach them but got nothing but static and dead air for his efforts. "Colonel Young! You and T cover the entrance. How far were the Darts?"

"Saw two landing about a half a click from the ruins, General! Three more were coming in right behind!" Young and Teal'c ran toward the small doorway and took defensive positions, Stasiak immediately behind his commanding officer.

"Mitchell, you and Vala–"

"General, I _demand_ that you get us out of here!" Senator Carpenter's voice was high-pitched with fear.

"Senator, with _no_ due respect at all, shut the _hell_ up! You wanted contact...you've got it. Now stay the hell out of the way and for God's sake, _keep your head down!_"

"O'Neill! We've got incoming down the corridor!" Teal'c began firing at the ceiling at the end of the corridor, trying to stop the progress of the advancing Wraith by blocking the passageway.

Jack frantically looked around the room, his eyes landing on the still pulsating event horizon. He and Daniel exchanged glances and Daniel just shrugged. "Time!" Jack snapped out his question.

"Four minutes, Jack! That's if–"

"Yes, Daniel, I _know_!" Jack shouted into his mic, praying that the Odyssey would answer. "Jamison, can you get us off this rock yet?"

"_...on, neg...ve...Gen...shields...tr...will attempt to disengage long en...."_

_Son of a..._ "All right." Jack ducked as dust and debris fell from the ceiling following another loud bang from above. "Hitch! What's the air like on the other side?"

Hitch popped his head out from the counter under which he'd taken cover when Teal'c and Young had begun firing. He wiped the screen of his laptop with his sleeve and squinted through the dusty air. "It's clear, Boss. A bit oh-two rich, but it looks okay to breathe."

Carpenter half-rose from the crouched position into which Jon had shoved him, angrily brushing off the Captain's restraining hand. "General, you can't expect us to _escape_ through that...to wherever that goes?" Chloe's fearful cry behind him as the chamber rocked from the bombardment above forced the Senator to look back. "Be _silent_, Chloe!"

Jack tossed his pack to Teal'c, knowing the Jaffa would make good use of the C4 he'd automatically packed. Turning back to the Senator he replied grimly. "Well, Senator, you're more than welcome to open talks with the Wraith, but the rest of us exiting stage left." Jack waved Captain Jon and Lieutenant Nash toward the open wormhole. "Captain, you and the Lieutenant hold at the event horizon." Glancing around he spotted Mitchell and Vala across the room, still frantically searching for other weapons or another way out. "Colonel, you and Vala stand ready. I'm gonna go through...ah _damn._" Jack glanced at Daniel again and received a shrug in return. Everything in him screamed to be the first through the gate to be sure it was safe for the rest of his team. But with the Wraith progressing toward them inch by inch it fell to him to protect their exit. He simply couldn't be in both places at once. And, in the back of his mind, a little voice reminded him...he'd promised Sam. _Damn_.

Jack glanced at the doorway to find Young looking back at him. They exchanged a grim look and Jack nodded. He ran to the doorway and pulled Young aside, calling to Cam as he ran. "Mitchell! I need you, now!" Jack waited for Mitchell to join them at the door, waving him to the spot from which he'd pulled Everett Young. Vala grabbed Chloe Carpenter and pulled her along with her, ducking to join Daniel and Hitch under the console.

"Everett, I need you to go–"

"I know, General. I'm on it." As the next most senior officer, it fell to Colonel Young to lead the advance while Jack covered their six. "My guys'll handle it, Sir." He gestured toward Stasiak and the Marine deftly shouldered his pack, turned and jogged toward the gate.

Jack dipped his head and clapped Young on the shoulder. "We'll be right behind you, Colonel. Get your team moving." He rose and sprinted to the doorway, fighting to keep his balance on the heaving floor. The Wraith's bombardment was getting heavier, they didn't seem to care if they killed their own as they came after the humans on the surface.

Young waved Nash toward the gate, stooping to grab the Senator's elbow. "Let's go, Sir. Time to leave." Ignoring the politician's protest, Young propelled the older man toward the gate. "Hitch! Air?"

"Still good, Colonel!"

"Life signs?"

Daniel took the laptop from Hitch, giving the young computer tech a shove toward the rippling wormhole. "None that we can see." He checked his watch again. "Two minutes!"

Vala lifted the shaking and crying Chloe from the floor. "Come on, lovey, let's go exploring, shall we?"

"No!" The younger Carpenter squirmed in Vala's grip, twisting and fighting to get free.

The Senator shoved Vala away from Chloe, catching her off guard and sending her sprawling on the floor. Vala's head hit the edge of the gate and she slumped, unconscious. "Get your hand off of my little girl!"

"Hey!" Daniel shouted and sprinted toward Vala, dodging falling masonry as he ran to her side. He began slapping her face gently, trying to revive her, his other hand reaching to stop the bleeding from the back of her head.

Colonel Young had had enough. He pulled his service weapon, chambered a round and pointed the weapon at the Senator's face. "Sir. Walk toward the gate. You _will_ follow me." Young turned to the hulking Marine member of his team. "Captain Stasiak, you will escort the Senator through after I've gone through. Understood?" He handed his Beretta over and waited for the Marine's steady acknowledgement then turned and stepped through the event horizon, his P90 held ready.

Jack stepped into the spot vacated by young and braced himself against the doorframe. He fired down the hallway at the approaching pale figures. He looked back into the room as Young disappeared through the event horizon.

"Odyssey! This is O'Neill! Respond!" Jack cocked his head in a vain effort to hear any response from the orbiting ship over the thunderous noise of the Wraith attack, but there was nothing. He watched as Stasiak gestured for Nash and Jon to step through next, each taking Chloe's arm. The Senator, taking advantage of the Marine's momentary distraction, lunged for the Captain's weapon.

"No! You had no right to take her through! None! Bring her back to me!" Senator Carpenter struggled to pull the handgun from the big Marine's grip.

Hitch lunged forward to help the Marine, only to yelp in pain as Stasiak shoved the Senator off, inadvertently pushing the young computer technician backward through the wormhole. Jack could see Stasiak had had enough as he forcibly grabbed the Senator's arm and twisted it up behind his back.

"Sir! You. Will. Go. Now! We cannot leave until you do!"

Daniel looked up from his screen and shouted, "One minute! Jack, if we're going, it's got to be _now_!"

Jack threw his last grenade down the hall, gesturing for Teal'c and Mitchell to head toward the gate. "Captain!" He called to the Marine. "Go! Young might need some support on the other side. We'll bring the Senator through!"

Stasiak snapped off a salute to O'Neill and let the Senator go. He swung his P90 up and leapt through the gate with a shout. Behind him, the Senator staggered and fell as the floor rocked once again with another loud explosion in the hallway.

Mitchell and Teal'c stopped at Vala and Daniel's position, grabbing their packs as they approached. Teal'c bent and helped Daniel lift a still groggy Vala to her feet, slipping her arm around he shoulder. Jack placed the last of his C4 on the frame of the doorway and sprinted toward them, reaching down to grab the Senator and haul him to his feet. He checked his team and nodded, then flicked the switch on the detonator. The concussion from the blast blew them all closer to the gate. Ignoring the politician's protests, Jack clamped his arm around the Senator's and firmly shoved him forward.

He had him a step away from the gate when Daniel cried out, "No, Jack! Wait!"

As Jack turned to Daniel as a tremendous blast ripped through the cavern, blowing them all off of their feet. The Wraith had broken through the last barrier. Jack felt himself flying forward, toward the now flickering event horizon. He had nothing to hold onto save for the Senator, and it looked as if they were both going to fall into the now unsteadily flaring blue circle. Jack closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable when a hand suddenly snaked out and grabbed his ankle, halting his forward momentum. A loud sucking swoop filled the cavern, drowning out all other noise, as the event horizon snapped closed. Jack found himself sprawled at the base of the Stargate clutching the Senator's arm. Just his arm.

Before he could take in what had happened they were surrounded by a blaze of white light. When his eyes cleared, Jack looked around and realized they were in the transport room of the Odyssey...and he was still holding...

"Gah!" Jack grimaced sharply and reflexively released the limb he was still holding.

"Oh my God!" Vala buried her face in Daniel's shoulder, sickened.

The Senator's arm hit the floor with a sickening thud, echoing the feeling in Jack's stomach. He turned toward Daniel. "Please tell me he wasn't..."

Daniel shook his head, his attention on Vala. "Teal'c?"

Teal'c was somber as he stared at the limb lying on the floor. "I do not believe he made it through, O'Neill. He was...in transit...when the wormhole ceased to be."

Scrubbing his face with his hands, Jack turned toward the stunned crew in the room. "Status?"

Before anyone could answer, Captain Jamison's voice came over the comm as the ship rocked slightly. _"Chief, do you have everyone? It's time to get the hell out of Dodge!"_

Jack slapped a hand to the comm panel. "Captain? SG-1's on board, but Young's team is..."

"_General, either we go now or we don't go at all! As it is, we're not gonna get far, but anywhere's better than here."_ As if to add emphasis to his words, the ship rocked again, this time with enough force to throw everyone to the floor.

Jack, knowing that for the moment Everett Young and his team were out of reach of the Wraith, simply nodded, his face lined with exhaustion. He didn't know how they were going to regain access to the command chamber, but for the moment there was nothing he could do. 'Never leave a man behind' didn't seem to apply here, when the 'man,' or in this case–the team–simply wasn't there to be left. They'd have to find another way, and they couldn't do that while fighting a Hive ship and dodging Darts. Jack looked at Teal'c and then Daniel, his gaze steady and his eyes clear, then tapped the comm panel again. "Go now, Captain. SG-1 is clear."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: A short one – kind of a bonus update.

Cheyenne Mountain Complex  
SGC Headquarters  
Commander's Office  
0914 (local)

"Colonel?"

"Yes, Walter?"

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but no response from P3C-539. I've dialed repeatedly in the last forty-eight hours and have been unable to establish a connection."

"Are we able to dial out elsewhere?"

"Yes, Colonel. I've successfully connected with other gates, and we have teams escorting those evacuated to Alpha back to Earth every hour. I've been holding the next return window until..."

"Go ahead and bring them back, Walter. Just leave a longer window between waves, would you? That way, if General O'Neill or the Odyssey tries to dial in, they'll be able to do so." Sam rubbed her eyes tiredly, hoping she didn't look as bad as she felt.

"Yes, Ma'am." Walter stepped toward the door, before hesitating and then turning back to Sam. "Colonel? May I bring you something to eat?"

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that." _Guess I do look as bad as I feel. _Sam waited until the door closed behind the Chief before letting out the breath she'd been holding. _Where the hell could they be?_ Jack was twenty-four hours overdue to report in and Sam didn't believe they'd leave orbit around the planet without notifying the SGC. Not unless something had gone drastically wrong. She knew that Walter had been trying to reach the Odyssey through the Stargate since Atlantis's arrival on Earth two days ago.

_Atlantis..._

Sam sat up straight, all traces of exhaustion gone in an instant. Why hadn't she thought of that before! She snatched up her phone, speaking quickly. "Sergeant? I need you to get Landry on the line for me, try him at the Pentagon first. And...send Siler in too, please." She began rapidly keying information into her computer, and was studying the results of her query when Siler, after a brief knock on the door, entered the office.

"Colonel? You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I need you to get your gear and be ready to leave in an hour."

"Yes, Ma'am. Right away." Siler turned away, then paused at the door. "Colonel? Anything in particular I should be packing?"

Sam looked up, her eyes on him but her gaze far away. "Whatever it is you think you need to fix a Stargate, Sergeant." She quickly turned back to her screen, absently answering the phone as it rang, her focus only on the data before her. The voice on the other end snapped her attention back immediately.

"Colonel O'Neill. Yes, thanks. General? Yes, sir, we're all fine here." Sam paused, taking a deep breath. "General Landry, I need...I am requesting that you return to the SGC, sir, ASAP. Yes, I understand. No, sir, I don't. Yes. No, we haven't heard–" She stopped abruptly, listening to the voice on the other end of the line for a long moment. "The thing is...General, I have an idea..."

- -

Atlantis  
San Francisco Bay  
1244 (Cheyenne Mountain Time)

A little over three hours later Sam rose and prepared to step off of the small launch and onto a low platform perched just above the water below the Ancient city. She stopped for a moment, amazed at the sight of the structure floating peacefully in the channel, the San Francisco skyline sparkling in the distance. Sam shook her head. Jack was certainly correct, they had the strangest jobs in the world. The boat shifted slightly and she stumbled, bracing her knees against the bulkhead for balance as she reached for the rail.

Siler quickly reached out to steady her as she transitioned from the boat to the platform, not wanting to see his mentor fall into the water. General O'Neill would surely kill him for that, he was certain.

"Thanks, Siler."

"No problem, Ma'am." Grabbing his gear bag, Siler deftly jumped up beside the Colonel, watching as the launch drifted away, then turned, it's motor engaging as the Ensign who'd ferried them out returned to his ship.

Sam idly wondered how the Navy planned to explain that little trip to the Ensign, then shrugged and turned to greet Woolsey, emerging from a sheltered doorway. She offered her hand. "Mr. Woolsey, good to see you again."

Taking her hand in his, Woolsey held it for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And you, Colonel." Woolsey led Sam inside, solicitously lifting her bag from her shoulder and slinging it over his own. "Now that you're here, can you tell me what's going on?"

"We're unable to reach General O'Neill and the Odyssey in orbit over P3C-539. Can't get the gate there to connect either. We've tried for two days with no luck, and..." Sam hesitated, then plunged ahead as they entered the lift to take them to the command levels. "I was thinking that the wormhole drive you and your team used to get to Earth could help us out."

"Ah, yes. Well then. Doctor's McKay and Zelenka should be our first stop." Woolsey waited for the lift doors to open, then waved Sam out and into the familiar corridor. "Colonel? I believe you know the way?"

Sam gave Woolsey a tight, pained smile as she exited the lift. Of course she knew the way, she'd spent a year here, after all. One long and often lonely year away from everyone she knew and loved, grudginly–at first–fulfilling the duties to which she'd been assigned. Now she'd come full circle, it seemed. As much as she'd resented the assignment here two years ago, a small part of her was glad to be back now, to have the opportunity to say hello–and a proper goodbye–to so many familiar faces. Stepping around Atlantis's new commander, Sam lifted her chin and strode toward McKay's lab. Hello's and goodbye's could wait, there was only one familiar–and sorely missed–face she needed to see right now, and she headed toward the scientists who could make that happen.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I feel like it's Christmas eve! I know what you're all going to see when you see the episode tomorrow and cannot wait for your reactions! In our family we open one gift on Christmas Eve and save the rest for morning. Here's yours. Enjoy.

Odyssey  
Forward Observation Lounge  
1448 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain Time)

Jack O'Neill stared out at the cold expanse of space, for the first time appreciating what Sam, Landry, and the rest of SG-1 must have felt when they were in deep space fighting the Ori a few years back. Odyssey sat, dead in the water, drifting, her engines dead. They'd been hit hard by the Wraith and lucky to escape. Collins, _Odyssey_'s chief engineer, said that they had enough energy left for another seventy-two hours. Give or take. Jack snorted softly. He knew that the crew was working frantically to make repairs, but, after having see the damaged sections for himself, wasn't holding out much how. _This is a helluva way to go_. The events of the last few hours flashed through his mind as he stood blindly staring into the endless abyss of space.

_Captain Jamison's voice echoed throughout the ship. "All hands, grab something and hold on, we're going through the wormhole cold!" _

_Daniel grabbed Vala and pinned her to the nearest bulkhead, his arms going to either side of her body, his hands clenching the small rails bolted to the surface for just this reason. Cam dove for the nearest chair, strapping himself in as Teal'c reached for O'Neill, who, standing in the center of the room, was farthest away from any support. Jack felt Teal'c's large hand close over his arm just as the ship gave a tremendous shudder and then...nothingness. Jack hadn't been aboard any of Earth's ships when transitioning through a wormhole and he knew going through cold was the worst way to go. Unlike stepping through the Stargate, this trip took a bit longer, on a good day. This wasn't a good day. There hadn't been any time to engage the ship's inertial dampeners or to stabilize the grav field, which meant that anything–or anyone–not strapped in place was going flying. Jack included._

_Teal'c's hand on his forearm was enough to stop Jack from crashing headfirst into the solid bulk of the wall...barely. It was not, however, enough to prevent him from twisting sideways and spinning away from the Jaffa, slamming to a stop against a large storage container. Jack grunted in pain, struggling to remain conscious as he fumbled to reach a support rail, grimacing at the sharp pain that surged through his wrist at the movement. His other arm was still gripped tightly in Teal'c's, the big Jaffa's muscles straining as he struggled to brace them both._

_Then, as quickly as he'd started flying, Jack slumped as the ship came out of the wormhole and partial gravity kicked in. He groaned as he hit the floor, cradling his wrist to his chest and wiping blood from his eyes. Pulling his arm from Teal'c's grasp he swiped his hand across his brow, frowning at the blood on his fingers. "Damn. Did anybody get the number of that truck?"_

"_All decks report, all sections, report." The medical officer's voice cracked out over the comm._

_The transportation chief pried himself free from his own safety rail and looked around the room. "Everybody okay?"_

"_O'Neill is injured. Please call for assistance." Teal'c knelt at Jack's side. He pulled off his shirt and folded it, pressing it firmly to the wound on Jack's forehead. "Lie still, O'Neill, help will shortly arrive."_

_Jack simply nodded, his mind fuzzy from the impact. "Are we there yet?"_

"_I do not know, O'Neill."_

_Raising his voice, Jack called out to the crew in the room. "Anybody know where we are?"_

_His question was answered by Jamison, entering the room with the medical team. "Specifically?" Jamison shook his head. "Sorry, General, we're still trying to get a fix on our location. Sanders says we're not too far from where we started. The good news is, we're far enough, at least, that the Wraith can't find us."_

_Vala joined them, joining Teal'c on the floor next to Jack. "And the bad news?"_

"_If we don't know where we are, then nobody _else_ can find us either." Daniel's face was grim as he saw Jamison nod in agreement. Swallowing hard, the looked to the faces of his team._

_Cam looked up from where he was holding a bandage to an injured crewwoman's back. "This could be bad."_

"_Ya think?" Jack groaned again as Teal'c helped him to his feet, waving away the medics who'd arrived and were trying to put him on a gurney. "No thanks, guys, I'll walk." He nodded to the captain to continue as they made their way to the ship's infirmary._

A soft cough brought Jack's attention back to the room. He turned and watched Daniel enter. "Any news yet?"

Daniel sighed and flopped into a chair, turning it so that he faced away from the window. He'd spent enough time staring out his own window over the last few days that he didn't need to do that now. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and blinked owlishly before looking up at Jack. "Nothing new. Jamison says we're pretty much dead here, the engines crapped out pretty fast after our jump. I guess we're lucky they ran as long as they did."

"Yeah. Lucky." Jack turned and joined Daniel, snagging another chair and easing himself down. He was tired of staring at constellations he didn't recognize. "The nav guys sure of were we are yet?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of? Daniel, 'sort of' being sure about where we are is like being 'a little bit pregnant.' Either you are or you aren't!"

"I'm just telling you what I know, Jack. Sorry."

"Ah, hell. No, Daniel, _I'm_ sorry." Jack grimaced as he shifted on the chair, trying to find a comfortable position to put his newly casted left arm. Giving up, he rested it on his knees, rubbing absently at the bandage on his forehead with his other hand. "I hurt, I'm tired and...damn it, I miss Sam. I want to be _home_. We still don't know what's going on back there." He fought to keep the anguish from his voice. With Daniel he didn't have to hide as much, but he still tried to maintain some semblance of...whatever. Jack sighed again. "Then there's Young and his team."

"Not to mention Carpenter."

"Yes, let's not, shall we?" How the hell was he going to explain to the President that he'd returned with only half of his original ground team, and even _less_ than half of a Senator? It's a damned good thing he didn't care about his career, because it was certainly over now. Once simply didn't return from trips with _parts_ of elected officials. It just wasn't done. Not that it mattered much. If they couldn't get back...

They sat together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Jack, his body turned only slightly away from the viewing window, caught a faint flicker out of the corner of his eye. He spun quickly and watched, then jumped backward out of his chair with a yelp as a swirling blue wormhole ripped open the rich black fabric of space just off the port side of the Odyssey.

"_All hands! Battle stations. Repeat, all hands–"_

"Jack!" Daniel jumped to his feet and ran to the window, leaning against the glass and trying to see more clearly. "Oh my God! I think it's–"

"_Atlantis_," Jack breathed. He and Daniel stared in disbelief as the large Ancient city floated majestically out of the wormhole and drifted closer, dwarfing the Odyssey. They watched as a small ship detached itself from the central column of Atlantis and made its way toward their crippled ship, quickly disappearing from view below them, blocked by the _Odyssey_'s bulk. Jack recognized the signature shape of one of the city's Jumpers and he wondered, if Sheppard was on Earth, just who could be piloting the small craft. Unable to believe that the city had simply...popped...out of nowhere, both men stood mesmerized for a long moment.

"_General O'Neill, your presence is requested in the forward port bay. General O'Neill to the forward port bay."_

With a last glance at the city now blocking out the field of stars, Jack and Daniel sprinted from the darkened room.

- -

Odyssey  
Forward Port Landing Bay  
1505 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain Time)

Sam waited impatiently for the back of the Jumper to open, swaying slightly as fatigue washed over her. Siler stepped forward and lifted a hand to her elbow, once again there to offer a steady arm, and she smiled gratefully up at him. God these things were slow. It took nearly thirty full seconds from release to full open, forming the ramp on which they walked to enter and exit. Thirty seconds that seemed like a lifetime at the moment. Or longer. Because Sheppard had landed the Jumper facing forward, she had glimpses of the Odyssey's crew as they arrived in the bay, like her, eagerly waited for the process to finish. She impatiently, desperately, searched for a familiar face among those waiting, fighting the wave of fear and nausea she felt when she didn't immediately spot him.

Finally..._finally!_...the ramp was down; Sam striding down it before it had settled completely. She ignored the eager crew that surrounded them as the rest of her group, Siler sticking close by her side, followed. She quickly raked over the mostly unfamiliar faces for Jack's. _Where is he? Why isn't he here? _Biting back a sob of fear and frustration, Sam turned and looked at the hand that gently took her arm. She followed the arm up but avoided Captain Jamison's eyes, terrified to meet his gaze, afraid of what it might say to her. He simply gave her arm a quick squeeze, pulling her away from the noisy group crowding the ramp.

"Colonel O'Neill, come this way, please."

Numbly she followed, certain now that what he had to tell her would break her heart...shatter her soul. Sam took a deep breath, pulling the Captain to a halt. "Kevin? I...please, just tell me." Before he could say anything, a soft voice called her name.

A wonderful voice.

A voice filled with love and promise.

_His_ voice.

"Sam."

She stepped around the nose of the Jumper and there he was. Battered and bruised, a cast covering his left arm from his fingertips to his elbow and a bright white bandage on his forehead, but..._there_, standing before her.

Alive.

"Oh, God. Jack!" Without a second thought she launched herself across the space between them, wrapping as much of her around him as she could. She was shaking and crying, mindless of both crews milling around. Jack's arms were warm and tight around her, his cast digging into her back, but she didn't care. She welcomed the feeling as she tucked her chin onto his shoulder, reveling in him.

Jack whispered her name over and over, his face buried deep in Sam's neck, interspersing his words with gentle kisses to her warm neck. Rocking her back and forth, he stood with his eyes closed, simply absorbing the feeling of her in his arms. "Shh, Sam. Shh."

"Oh, God...I'm just so..._glad_...to see you."

Jack hugged her tighter. "Sam, Kevin got the sitrep from Woolsey as you were landing. I heard about Area 51, about the _Hammond_."

Jack's words tore through her and Sam bit back another sob, the ache fresh in her chest again. "It was like losing him all over again, Jack."

"I know, Sam. I know. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. So sorry."

Sam shook her head as much as she was able, held as she was against Jack's body. "No," she said softly, fiercely. "I'm _glad_ you weren't there. You would have been..._there_...and I...I wouldn't have survived it." She started shaking again, fighting the fresh tears she couldn't seem to stop.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm okay. _We're_ okay."

Sam held him for a moment longer, then pulled back just far enough to see Jack's face. "We?"

Jack turned them both so she could see Teal'c, Daniel, Cam, and Vala standing nearby. Sam choked out a relieved laugh and, with a final kiss and a hug for Jack, ran as quickly as she could though the crowd to the others. Jack followed behind, wiping his eyes and not caring who saw the motion. He watched, a rare grin on his face, as Teal'c gently swept Sam up into a warm and loving hug, only relinquishing her to an impatient Daniel demanding his turn. After Daniel came Vala and Cam, taking their own turns and each finishing with a kiss to Sam's cheek.

When the initial furor of greetings began to die down, Jamison directed his crew start steering everyone out of the landing bay. Sam, reluctant though she was to leave the embrace of her family, understood. They had a lot yet to do and a long way to travel before they could truly relax. She absently listened as everyone began exchanging tales, her eyes widening in surprise as she heard what the Odyssey and her crew had been through, what they'd survived. Who they'd lost and...how.

With nearly everyone around her still laughing and talking at once, Sam turned and reached again for an equally silent Jack, leaning into his loving embrace, her arm snaking around his waist and holding tightly him to her side. She closed her eyes, letting the din wash over her and finally let go of the fear that had held her in its grip for days. She'd found him. Impossibly, and using everything she–and McKay and Zelenka–had, she'd found him. And, if she had her way, she'd never lose him again.


	16. Chapter 16 Epilogue

A/N: Here it is...the epilogue. And it is unapologetically shippy. Truly. Smarmy, even. I'm posting this at 11:05 PM (PST) on Thursday because...it's Friday somewhere, isn't it? More notes at the end.

O'Neill Residence  
Colorado Springs, Colorado  
0657 (local)

The morning sun slipped around the edges of the blinds, warming Sam's face and bringing her slowly from her slumber. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking sleepily, glad to feel the mind-numbing exhaustion that had dogged her for weeks was finally fading. She thought back to her time on Atlantis as they'd frantically searched for some sign of the missing ship. Seventy hours of no word from Jack or _Odyssey_ followed by fifty-nine hours of agonizing, mind numbing effort as they searched for the galactic equivalent of a needle in a haystack.

_P3C-539  
Atlantis  
0642 (Earth-Cheyenne Mountain Time)_

_Sam checked her watch again as she anxiously waited for Sheppard to report from the planet's surface. Twenty-two minutes. The crew of the Atlantis quietly went about their duties, their voices low with barely suppressed tension. Suddenly, Sam couldn't stand it any longer. She keyed her mic and opened a channel to the team below. "John? What's going on?"_

_The solar flares that had plagued Jack's communications with Earth seemed to have subsided and Sheppard's voice came through loud, clear, and unbroken. "I'm sorry, Colonel O'Neill. There's...nothing."_

_Sam felt her stomach plunge to her toes and she bent her head, fighting for control. She wasn't aware of Woolsey's presence behind her until he placed a hand on her shoulder, clumsily patting her. Startled by the comforting touch from such an unexpected source, Sam glanced up at him and offered a weak smile. Reaching up, she touched his hand in thanks and then turned back to the console. "John, feed the video signal up, we're set to record."_

"_I'm on it, Colonel."_

_Woolsey and Sam watched as the screen before her flickered to life and Sam bit back a gasp at the devastation revealed by the little handheld camera. Gone were the towering ruins from Daniel's original video barely a month before. Sheppard was right. There was nothing left save for dusty and smoking ruins. The amount of destruction was truly stunning, Sam had never seen anything like it. Teyla panned the camera in a circle, and Sam saw that the Stargate SG-1 had used to originally arrive on the planet was canted at an awkward angle, knocked from it's pedestal by an incredible force._

"_Teyla, can you get to the base of the gate?"_

"_Yes, Colonel. Just a moment." _

_The images on the screen shook and jumped as Teyla scrambled over fallen columns. Sam leaned back and looked away quickly, the camera's unsteady movement making her nauseas. She looked back again as the images steadied, jiggling slightly as Teyla, slightly out of breath, tried to hold the camera steady._

"_Oh, no..." Sam simply couldn't believe it._

"_Are you getting this, Colonel O'Neill?"_

"_Yes," Sam answered faintly. "We see it." She pushed back from the desk and turned away, striding to her old office and closing the door. Behind her, Woolsey silently watched her go, then turned and watched numbly as Teyla slowly zoomed in on the shattered crystal and twisted trinium that had once been a functioning DHD._

Sam closed her eyes, shutting out the memory of the despair she'd felt at that discovery. She had convinced Woolsey to let her go down to the surface and join the ground teams as they searched for some sign of the missing teams. While Sam and Siler studied the fatally damaged DHD, Sheppard and his team had been the first to uncover a lead. Teyla literally stumbled into a hole that led to a large chamber. John and his team had begun digging, and had grimly reported on the awesome number dead Wraith littering the corridors leading to the cavern. An hour later he excitedly reported a _second_ gate within the large room. Sheppard had insisted Sam stay on the surface, declaring the site too unstable for her to be climbing around. Siler had gone instead and verified, based on trace elements in the air, that the gate had recently been activated but he couldn't determine the coordinates that had been dialed. Sheppard also discovered evidence of Earth weaponry, including a discarded C4 detonator. But it was his last discovery that had wrenched Sam the most.

_Sam stood at the edge of the hole into which Sheppard's team had disappeared, restlessly kicking aside small pebbles and twigs while she waited. A soft cough and the sound of tumbling rocks heralded the arrival of the Atlantis team. Teyla exited first, pausing to lay a hand on Sam's arm, the action instantly causing Sam's heart to stutter in fear._

"_What? Teyla, what is it?"_

_Teyla gave her arm a squeeze, then stepped aside to allow Ronan and Sheppard to emerge. Sam caught her breath as she saw what Sheppard carried. Jack's ALICE vest, his worn, green hat still tucked securely in the webbing. She reached out with trembling fingers, pulling the vest from Sheppard's grasp. _

"_Was there...did...is there..." She swallowed and couldn't finish. Her normally facile mind stuttered from thought to thought and she was unable to string words together to make a coherent sentence._

_John bent to make sure she was looking directly at him as he answered. "Colonel." Not seeing any response he grabbed her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake. "Sam! He's _not _down there. None of them are. This is all we found. Nobody...no...bodies...other than the Wraith." Sheppard waited for her nod before he continued. "And they did a hell of a number on the Wraith, let me tell you."_

_Sam could only nod her head in understanding, her mind still numb. He wasn't here. There was still a chance. She turned away, clutching the vest to her chest, barely aware of Teyla leading her back toward the Jumper._

They'd found no other evidence of Jack or SG-1 on the planet, although Atlantis had found debris from _Odyssey_ floating in orbit. Analysis of the fragments quickly determined that it wasn't enough to have been the entire ship, so McKay and Zelenka began their own search, attempting to find any trace of the route the _Odyssey_ had taken. Nearly sixty hours of searching, seventeen jumps through seventeen wormholes, in a widening pattern. Each new jump harder on Sam than the last, but nobody was willing cry 'uncle.' In the end, it came down to pure, dumb luck. A combination of a gut feeling by Sam, evidence of more debris near their exit point, and a dropped zero by McKay–to which he refused to admit. Floating dead in space, engines fried and life support beginning to fail, but still beautifully _whole_ half a light-year from the wormhole floated _Odyssey_.

A distant horn pulled Sam from her thoughts, and yawning again, she sleepily slid her hand across the mattress, reaching for..._what the hell is that_? She quickly pulled her hand back and turned her head, blinking slowly and trying to bring the unexpected occupant of the bed into focus.

Where she expected to find her husband, she instead found herself looking at an impossibly soft puppy. A puppy that was...no way. Sam leaned closer to be certain. _Is he...snoring?_ Shaking her head in disbelief Sam smiled; she hadn't even known dogs _could_ snore. Staring at the sleeping puppy she rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was dreaming. A soft chuckle from the doorway drew her attention away from the snoring furball and she turned to find her missing husband leaning against the door frame, a gentle smile on his face.

"Hi." Her voice was low and rough with sleep.

Jack smiled at her and returned her greeting, moving closer for his good morning kiss. He took his time, savoring the rare quiet moment with her.

His lips were warm and soft on hers and Sam let herself float along, momentarily forgetting her new bedmate. Too soon, however, Jack pulled back and seated himself on the edge of the bed. He gestured with his chin to the furry bundle warming his pillow and asked Sam, "Do you like him?"

"I, ah, we haven't actually met. And when did _we_ get him?"

Jack quirked a small smile and stretched out alongside Sam, propping himself up on one hand and reaching across her to tickle the belly of the puppy, hoping to pull him from his dreams. "Cassie picked him out a week ago and she's been keeping him for us since we've been traveling so much."

Sam nodded. In the four weeks since Atlantis had helped _Odyssey _limp back to Earth, she and Jack had barely spent three days at home. Atlantis's spectacular return to the planet had simply been too big to cover up. Its second return, after they'd found the _Odyssey_, had been the capper and the President and the IOA had decided the time had come to go public. With everything. That meant that Jack, as Director of Homeworld Security, and Sam, as the person who'd commanded Earth's first line of defense in the battle that had revealed all, were in popular demand. The schedule had been exhausting, the travel grueling, all of it culminating with Sam collapsing in the midst of her third press conference in one day. Jack had finally had enough and put his foot down, telling the President to find someone else to entertain the press for a while, he was going to take his wife home and they were going to take care of each other for a while. A very long while. They'd arrived home late last night and Sam barely remembered crawling into bed.

She looked at the puppy, who was just now stirring, then turned and smiled up at Jack. The puppy's coat was an interesting combination of blueish grey and black on a field of white, and Sam could just make out floppy, pointed hears pressed against Jack's pillow. "What made Cassie think we'd even _want_ a puppy?"

Jack gave her a long look, his brown eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth. "She said it's an Earth rule, 'every kid's gotta have a dog.'" Repeating what he'd told Cassie so many years before, Jack held Sam's gaze, daring her now, just as he had then, to say no to the dog.

The puppy, awake now thanks to Jack's gentle prodding, rose and stretched, yawning widely much as Sam had earlier. His stubby tail wagging, he spotted them watching him and hopped over the blankets to join his new people, his little tongue unerringly finding Sam's face.

As unable to resist the puppy's blue eyes as she was Jack's loving brown ones, Sam found herself quickly falling under the spell of the little guy. She reached out and pulled him off of her chest, marveling at the softness of his downy-soft fur. She held him up and studied him intently for a moment before planting a kiss on his wet nose, deftly avoiding his eager puppy kisses. She'd always been partial to Australian Shepherds and this one's eyes held had a mischievous glint–one with which she was very familiar–he'd fit in perfectly around here.

"Who am I to argue with an Earth rule?"Sam turned her face to Jack's for another kiss, feeling him smile against her lips. She pulled the puppy close and felt the baby move slightly in response to the added warmth and pressure. "She's a smart girl, that Cassandra. Must have been raised by geniuses." As Jack reached out and gathered Sam and the puppy close, wrapping his family securely in his arms, Sam let out a gentle breath, content to stay where she was for as long as possible.

- -

End.

Afterword: These are the notes I wrote immediately after my first viewing of _Enemy at the Gates_ two weeks ago. These are what prompted this fic:

Caldwell says that the Odyssey is on "...some secret mission even I'm not supposed to know about."

"O'Neill wanted Sheppard in 'the Chair'"

Landry is heading up a "Task Force" in Washington

Sam is going to command the General Hammond (formerly the Phoenix)

Davis is now with Homeworld Security (was he always?)

So...what reason would there be for Sam to be in an overly large BDU shirt? Why intentionally make her look pregnant?

So...there you go. As I've said throughout, all feedback is read, answered (unless you review anonymously or have some other way of turning off your reply-to), and saved. Thanks to all who faithfully and steadily reviewed, especially (in alphabetical order) ascifigirl, CeltAngel, cflat, Devilish Me, docderentis, dp, jhalya, kathyhol, LaraSGCLena, leiasky, lkhoward88, Majikthize, Noontide, Phoenix786, sammie77, SammieAtHome, scarletwitch0, sg1star, Starlover1990, and WhatATragicComedy. If I've missed anyone, I apologize. I do appreciate each and every comment.


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